'True Detective Season 3 Updates, Rumors: Series Encounters Off-Camera Shakeup, Clash of Opinions?
There has been a shakeup behind the scenes of "True Detective" season 3 as director Jeremy Saulnier is leaving earlier than planned.
HBO has revealed in an official statement that Saulnier was supposed to helm the first three episodes of the returning anthology drama, but due to scheduling conflicts, he had to leave the production after working on just the first two.
The work on the third "True Detective" season 3 episode will take longer than expected and what Saulnier has signed up for; and with other projects he wanted to take on, he had to leave the show.
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However, Variety reports there is more to it than that issues with the schedule. Saulnier and "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto's opinions on the episodes also apparently clashed.
HBO quickly brought in television vet Daniel Sackheim to the fold to fill the void. The prolific TV director, who more recently helmed "The Americans," will split the season 3 directing duties with Pizzolatto, which will mark the first time in the series he created that he will serve as the director.
There is no word at the moment on how many episodes there will be in the new season. What's sure at the moment is that apart from directing, Sackheim will also serve as executive producer.
HBO chief Casey Bloys admitted last year that finding the right director for "True Detective" season 3 was one of the biggest hurdles they had to overcome to get the project going.
This is especially true after Cary Fukunaga was lauded for her directing work on the anthology drama's critically acclaimed first season, which has proven to be very difficult to follow.
Fukunaga ultimately left "True Detective" after rumored tension between him and Pizzolatto, and HBO instead tapped a group of directors for the second season that divided the duties in rotation.
Unfortunately, while the sophomore run featured quite the ensemble including Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, and Taylor Kitsch, it ultimately fell short, putting the whole series on limbo for quite a while.
News about "True Detective" following the conclusion of the second season back in 2015 was more about where it went wrong and how it might have buried the promising franchise rather than a renewal.
Details about the show's tangible comeback did not come to light until a couple of years later when it was revealed that Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali will star season 3.
Not long after, more cast members are announced for the new season namely Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff, Scoot McNairy, Mamie Gummer, and Ray Fisher.
"True Detective" season 3 takes the mystery and the action at the heart of the Ozarks, where a gruesome crime connected to a mystery that dates back several decades was committed. The story will be told in three separate time periods. Pizzolatto wrote these new episodes with David Milch co-writing the fourth episode.
While it looks like "True Detective" season 3 has encountered a hiccup, it is nothing that HBO could not fix immediately so it looks like the crime drama is still on track for its November 2019 premiere.
