True Detective Season 3 Greenlit, Jeremy Saulnier to Direct

According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has officially greenlit True Detective Season 3, and have set critically acclaimed filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room) to co-direct alongside series creator Nic Pizzolatto. Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Luke Cage) will lead the new season as state police detective Wayne Hays of Northwest Arkansas. The story will go back to its southern gothic, occult roots and “tell the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.”


Pizzolatto will pen all episodes of True Detective Season 3 except for the fourth episode, which has been co-written with Emmy Award winner David Milch (NYPD Blue, Deadwood, Luck).


The first two seasons of True Detective were a ratings success, but the second season had some trouble living up to the critical acclaim of season one. Matthew McConaughey, who starred in the first season of the show, has previously spoken out about his willingness to reprise his role. Pizzolatto, who is under contract with HBO through 2018, is also currently developing a Perry Mason series with Robert Downey Jr. for the cable network.

The first season of True Detective starred McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, with the second starring Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, and Rachel McAdams.


Saulnier’s next feature film, Hold the Dark, is currently in post-production for Netflix and will star Alexander Skarsgård, Riley Keough, James Badge Dale, Jeffrey Wright and Macon Blair.