Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Kelly Reilly join previously announced leads Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in second season of the dark crime drama, which will be set around southern California in the 1970s.
McAdams, well-known for her roles in Mean Girls and The Notebook, will play Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County detective with “uncompromising ethics”. Kitsch is returning to television, having starred as high school football star Tim Riggins in the acclaimed series Friday Night Lights. Kitsch will play Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and California Highway Patrol officer with a tough past. British actor Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), meanwhile, is on the other side of the law as Jordan Semyon, the wife of Vince Vaughn’s character Frank.
The new season will consist of eight hour-long episodes, with Justin Lin directing the first two installments. Series creator Nic Pizzolatto returns to pen all the episodes.
HBO revealed the True Detective Season two cast details in a press release. Here are the official character descriptions for the principal cast:
Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him.
Vince Vaughn as Frank Semyon, a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner.
Rachel McAdams as Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff’s detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves.
Taylor Kitsch as Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle officer for the California Highway Patrol, running from a difficult past and the sudden glare of a scandal that never happened.
Kelly Reilly as Jordan, Frank Semyon’s wife, a former D-list actress who is a full partner in his enterprises and ambitions.
As previously announced, the season will center on three law enforcement officials (McAdams, Farrell and Kitsch) who must navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder. Though HBO says production is underway, no premiere date has been set.
The cast is shaping up, the scripts are in and the director (one of possibly four for this season) are in place. Things are starting to officially come together in almost all categories.
Images: HBO, Paramount Pictures, NBC Universal, Warner Bros.
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