Luke Cage, House Of Cards Actor Confirmed To Star In True Detective Season 3, If It Happens

Mahershala Ali--who you might know from House of Cards, Marvel's Luke Cage, or The Hunger Games series--has apparently signed a deal to star in the third season of HBO's True Detective. That's despite the fact that Season 3 hasn't actually been confirmed yet.

According to Deadline, HBO's director of programming, Casey Bloys, stated that Ali will star in the new season--if it indeed happens. Bloys also said he has read five finished scripts for the potential new run: "They are terrific … I was very impressed and excited," he said. "We are talking to directors, and when we have a director we want to hire, it will be a go."

Ali's involvement in Season 3 was rumored earlier in July, when sources told The Tracking Board that even though the new run has not officially been greenlit, it is "definitely expected to return." The actor took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar earlier this year for the acclaimed drama Moonlight. He also played the villainous Cottonmouth in Marvel's Netflix show Luke Cage, and appeared in House of Cards, Hidden Figures, and the final two Hunger Games movies.

In March, it was reported that True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto was working on new scripts for the show alongside veteran TV producer David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue).

Last year Michael Lombardo, HBO's last president of programming, spoke about the negative reaction to Season 2. "When we tell somebody to hit an air date as opposed to allowing the writing to find its own natural resting place, when it's ready, when it's baked--we've failed," he admitted. "And I think in this particular case, the first season of True Detective was something that Nic Pizzolatto had been thinking about, gestating, for a long period of time. He's a soulful writer.

"I think what we did was go, 'Great.' And I take the blame. I became too much of a network executive at that point. We had huge success. 'Gee, I'd love to repeat that next year.'

"Well, you know what? I set him up to deliver, in a very short time frame, something that became very challenging to deliver.. That's not what that show is. He had to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. Find his muse. And so I think that's what I learned from it. Don't do that anymore."

True Detective Season 1 aired in 2014 and starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, while 2015's Season 2 featured Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, and Rachel McAdams.