Mahershala Ali could headline the third installment of "True Detective" on HBO. Sources close to the star of "Moonlight" reveal that he is in talks with some executives, but the cable network hasn't even announced it will greenlight a third season.
If Mahershala Ali's deal with “True Detective” season 3 pulls through, then it will be the first time an African-American actor will lead the high profile series. It will also mark the actor's return to the small screen.
While Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars last January for his work on "Moonlight," his stint on television also doesn't go unnoticed by the Television Academy.
The actor used to star with Kevin Spacey on "House of Cards," where he played President Frank Underwood's Chief of Staff. He was nominated for an Emmy for this role in 2016.
Mahershala Ali, however, left the series to do movies. He landed a role on "Moonlight, ” and his professional career has definitely picked up since.
What will ‘True Detective’ season 3 center on?
It's still unclear what "True Detective" season 3 will be about, but Entertainment Weekly reported in May that creator Nic Pizzolatto already wrote two brand new episodes. There were also reports that HBO tapped David Milch, the Emmy-winning writer, and producer for "Deadwood," to work with Pizzolatto in developing the third season.
"True Detective" nabbed Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey to lead the first season in 2014 alongside Woody Harrelson and the show received plenty of critical praise when it debuted on HBO. Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams, meanwhile, starred in the second season of the series with Taylor Kitsch, but as the show failed to win with critics and viewers and was heavily panned.
HBO isn’t in a rush
HBO executives took the blame for the failed follow-up season and acknowledged that they rushed Nic Pizzolatto to develop season 2 so soon after the first one. The writer and producer was forced to follow a time scheduled release; thus the show came out half-baked when it premiered in 2015.
The network suits have since learned from this mistake and declared its interest in still having a “True Detective” season 3.
But this time, Nic Pizzolatto can deliver the story in his own time. It’s been two years since the last series aired on television and fans have been waiting for another masterpiece.
Will the Mahershala Ali starrer come together? Sources reveal it's not yet a done deal and plans may still change for HBO.
