Season one of True Detective was very much the dark horse TV success story of early 2014, so now there's a lot of interest from the public in the development process of the anthology series' second season. Creator and show writer Nic Pizzolatto has said that the new season of the crime/mystery drama will take place in California and feature four central players; in recent weeks, three of those key roles have taken a step closer to being filled, but are not yet officially off the table.

Colin Farrell and Taylor Kitsch are reportedly up to play two of the three detective roles from True Detective season two, while The Wrap is now reporting that Golden Globe-winner Elisabeth Moss (best known for playing Peggy Olson on Mad Men) is being eyed for the last investigator character in the story. In addition, The Wrap's new report asserts that Vince Vaughn, whose potential involvement with the show came to light yesterday, is apparently in line to play the series' antagonist (not necessarily season two's big killer/villain, mind you).

The Wrap's report also includes several (unconfirmed) details on True Detective season two's four main characters, along with some information about the beginning of this season's over-arching narrative. You may note that most of this information gels with the recent rumors about the story and characters for the series' new season (though that doesn't, per se, mean this information is completely accurate):

  • Ray Velcro (Farrell) is a grizzled detective who's long had a rough time in "both his personal and professional lives."
  • Paul Woodrugh (Kitsch) is a 28-year old detective and veteran "who has seen his share of violence and destruction."
  • Ani Bezzerides (Moss) is a no-nonsense sheriff from Monterey, who has gambling and drinking problems as a result of her "troubled upbringing."
  • Frank Semyon (Vaughn), a "former thug" who's now a respectable businessman, pushing for the construction of a high-speed railway system that links Southern and Northern California.
True Detective season 2 casting update

Similar to True Detective season one, this new season begins with a gruesome death - that of Ben Caspar, the mayor of a (fictional) California city, who's found dead "on a lonely stretch of Pacific Coast Highway near Big Sur" - having clearly been murdered, with his corpse covered in satanic symbols. Pizzolatto has backed off his earlier claim that True Detective S2 will be examining "the secret occult history of the United States transportation system"; The Wrap, however, reports the investigation into Caspar's personal life reveals that he was "involved in the occult." 

In general, it sounds as though True Detective season two will carryover the approach on season two - using pulpy crime genre tropes to explore larger philosophical concepts and offer a rich deconstruction of detective archetypes. Combine that with the potential cast - an intriguing lineup of talent for sure - and it seems there's good reason for True Detective fans to be excited about where this new season is headed.

We'll continue to keep you up to speed on True Detective season two's development.

Source: The Wrap