True Detective season 3 is set to begin filming soon, and the ultra-gritty crime series has recently added Stephen Dorff to the cast led by Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali. Production on the new installment is expected to begin in February, as the series moves to the Ozarks to tell a story about a “macabre” crime and the subsequent investigation that goes back several decades. From the sound of things, as well as the cast the series has already lined up and which also includes Selma star Carmen Ejogo, True Detective looks poised to regain its position as one of HBO’s biggest brands, after a disappointing second season left its future in question.

This time around, creator Nic Pizzolatto not only had the benefit of more time to develop and write the third season of the crime anthology — a factor that reportedly contributed the quality of season 2 — he also had some back up in form of Deadwood creator David Milch, who reportedly helped shape the third season and is credited as the co-writer on the fourth episode. In addition to Milch’s assistance, Pizzolatto, who will also undertake directorial duties on season 3, will be joined by up-and-coming director Jeremy Saulnier, whose films Blue Ruin and Green Room make him an ideal and very interesting addition to the series.

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As reported by Variety, Dorff is set to join the series in what is being described as a co-lead role. He will play Roland West, an Arkansas Sate Investigator caught up in trying to piece together a crime that’s stymied him and Ali’s Wayne Hays for three decades. By that description of Dorff’s character and the crime he and Ali will be investigating, not to mention the time span of their investigation, it appears Pizzolatto is eager to take the show back to the sprawling storytelling of the first season, and to probe the effects of a harrowing and apparently unsolved case on the detectives assigned to it.

The addition of Dorff to the cast continues the series’ efforts to put recognizable stars in major roles, and it also suggests that Pizzolatto is not yet done exploring the tortured inner workings of grizzled, nicotine-stained men in law enforcement. On the plus side, Dorff brings a certain smoky flavor to whatever project he’s working on, which should make for an interesting pairing with Ali’s screen presence.

As more news about the series emerges, it will be interesting to see just how close True Detective season 3 hews to the first season, and whether or not the new installment aims to play the hits or if it genuinely has a different and compelling take on its hardened male protagonists and the inevitable descent into darkness their decades-long investigation becomes. That will have to wait until the new season finally premieres, but, with filming set to start next month, it’s likely that Dorff’s casting is just the first of many such announcements the series will be making, which should help paint a better picture of what, exactly, True Detective season 3 will be all about.

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True Detective season 3 has not set a premiere date yet.

Source: Variety