‘True Detective’ Season 3 Rumored To Return With ‘Moonlight’ Actor Mahershala Ali
The rumor mill surrounding a third season of HBO’s hit drama True Detective continues to brew. After a lackluster second season in 2015, it seemed the show would never see a Season 3. Creator Nic Pizzolatto is hard at work to get the new season up and running, with Moonlight‘s Mahershala Ali rumored to take the lead.
The detective crime drama took fans for a whirlwind with stunning performances by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the show’s debut season in 2014. HBO viewers became hooked on the disturbing show and could not wait for a second season. Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, and Rachel McAdams all signed on for the second season in what most felt would be a solid follow-up.
Despite considerable performances, the cast couldn’t quite match the stellar work of their predecessors. A confusing plot line was met with an underwhelming conclusion and the show’s fan base disintegrated without much hope of a third season.
HBO president Michael Lombardo took the heat for the failure last year, describing how he pushed for a second success too quickly.
“I set him [Pizzolatto] up to deliver, in a very short time frame, something that became very challenging to deliver. That’s not what that show is. He had to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. Find his muse. And so I think that’s what I learned from it. Don’t do that anymore.”
If rushing a second season was the reason behind Season 2’s demise, then the two-year break between now and then should have fans at ease for the new True Detective.
Although Season 3 has not yet been greenlit by HBO, Mahershala Ali is in talks to nab the lead role which insiders believe is already a done deal as reported by The Tracking Board. Fresh off an Oscar win for his supporting role in Moonlight, Ali is a perfect pick for the lead in True Detective. He would be the first African-American lead actor in the series as well. This wouldn’t be Ali’s first television role as the actor has had prominent parts in Netflix’s House of Cards and Luke Cage.
Nic Pizzolatto is still working on the third season with new collaborator David Milch from HBO’s retired series Deadwood. Variety reports Pizzolatto has already decided on a concept for Season 3 and began working on the script back in March.
Fans speculate the new season will follow Season 1’s success with a smaller centralized cast. This might be the key for a powerful season, as opposed to too many big names viewers felt might have ruined Season 2.
[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
