Though everything so far is pointing toward Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn as the male leads in season two of True Detective, HBO still hasn’t confirmed anything. There’s also one female lead, described a hard-living, hard-drinking woman, and early rumors suggested that Elisabeth Moss and then Rachel McAdams were the leading contenders to grab the role.
Things have changed.
True Detective season two, expected at this point to air next summer on HBO, is apparently bringing several actresses back for a second read, which — according to The Wrap — suggests that McAdams and Moss may be out of contention (or that it simply hasn’t worked out for either actress). The new shortlist, according to The Wrap, is a mix of lesser known but great actresses (Brit Marling, Oona Chaplin, Kelly Reilly) and better known but strange choices (in my mind) for a hard-drinking, hard-living woman: Jessica Biel, Malin Akerman, and Jamie Alexander.
I like all six of those actresses, but the three more popular actresses in the running — Biel, Akerman, and Thor’s Jamie Alexander — don’t feel like they would belong in the True Detective universe, but then again, neither does Vince Vaughn. Maybe True Detective season two is a considerably lighter affair.
The seventh actress on the short list — and the favorite, according to The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider — is Rosario Dawson, who is another outstanding actress, but who doesn’t necessarily fit into my idea of True Detective, either. My idea of True Detective, however, is clearly misguided: Season two, based on the casting and casting rumors, will probably not be similar in tone to the first season starring McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. In fact, of the ten actresses (including Jessica Chastain) who have been linked to the role, only Chastain and Moss fit my old idea of True Detective.
Stay tuned. Someday, HBO will make an announcement, though I do wonder if rumors that Nic Pizzolatto is difficult to work with have made casting challenging. After all, McConaughey and Harrelson had no problem throwing Pizzolotto under the bus at the Emmys (who wasn’t even afforded a reaction shot during the ceremony when he lost).
Source: The Wrap
