Justin Lin, best-known for directing the last three “Fast & Furious” films, is currently in early talks to direct two episodes in Season 2 of HBO’s “True Detective,” an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
The second run of the Emmy-nominated anthology series has been chock-full of rumored and reported castings and storylines: Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, Vince Vaughn and Elisabeth Moss are expected to be among those on screen in the upcoming season.
See video: Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson Need 7 Emmy Introductions
In August, details about the follow-up run’s plot emerged.
According to a breakdown obtained by TheWrap, the second season of “True Detective” will follow the death of a corrupt city manager of a fictional California city who’s found brutally murdered amid a potentially groundbreaking transportation deal that would forever change freeway gridlock in the state. Three law enforcement officers from different cities and branches of the government are tasked with finding out who did it. They soon discover their investigation has much broader and darker implications than they initially thought.
Also read: FX Boss John Landgraf Clarifies ‘True Detective’ Remark — Calm Down People, He’s a Fan
As early as a month ago, Vaughn was in talks to play Frank Semyon, a former thug-turned-businessman who’s working with a local mayor and his political cohorts to spearhead the construction of a high-speed railway system that links Southern California to Northern California in order to reap financial gains from federal grants and land purchases.
Moss, who recently played a small town cop in the similarly themed, “Top of the Lake,” was being eyed to play Ani Bezzerides, a tough, no-nonsense Monterey sheriff whose troubled upbringing has driven her to gambling and alcohol.
Also read: HBO and Nic Pizzolatto Respond to ‘True Detective’ Plagiarism Allegations
Farrell was nearing a deal to play Ray Velcoro, who has been damaged by years of turmoil in both his personal and professional lives.
Kitsch is the frontrunner to play the younger male lead, as TheWrap first reported. The “Friday Night Lights” star would take on the role of Paul Woodrugh, a handsome, 28-year-old military veteran who has seen his own share of violence and destruction.
Also read: David Chase Won’t ‘Befriend Any Journalist’ After Tony Soprano ‘Isn’t Dead’ Report
As for as the behind-the-camera work, Cary Fukunaga directed every episode of the first season, but HBO does not expect a filmmaker to commit to the entire second season, and has been looking to hire several directors for multiple episodes — possibly two or three apiece, which is consistent with the discussion surrounding Lin.
Andrew Dominik was one of the filmmakers that HBO is rumored to have approached. But it was believed that he is too busy prepping the Marilyn Monroe movie “Blonde,” which will star Jessica Chastain, who already passed on the female lead in “True Detective.”
HBO had no comment on the Lin negotiations, as has been their modus operandi in the off-season.