HBO has cast Carmen Ejogo (Selma) opposite Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) in the upcoming True Detective Season 3, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
True Detective Season 3 will 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. Ejogo will play the female lead, Amelia Reardon, an Arkansas schoolteacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980. Ali stars as Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas.
Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room) will co-direct alongside series creator Nic Pizzolatto. 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.
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