I was a little bit late getting to the True Detective party. I only recently binge-watched the series, so I guess I missed out on a lot of the episode-by-episode drama and conspiracy theories. I enjoyed Season 1 a lot (I love crime stories and police procedurals), but I can see where people would be disappointed by the lack of some overarching conspiracy and takedown of more people connected to the murders. That being said, it was a well-written series with spectacular acting. Both Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey gave great performances and it doesn’t surprise me at all that MM is a shoo-in for all of the big TV awards. It also doesn’t surprise me that writer/creator Nic Pizzolatto has been criticized for creating a world dominated by white men (and white male privilege).
There were hopes that Season 2 – which will feature a new season-long investigation and a new cast – would include better parts for women and perhaps a world that wasn’t so dominated by white male saviors. Those hopes are adorable. Pizzolatto has made it clear that while there will be one significant female character in Season 2, it’s probably going to be another sausage-fest. And there are some big casting rumors too.
Colin Farrell is in talks to star in the second season of HBO’s “True Detective,” an individual familiar with the series told TheWrap, while Taylor Kitsch is also the leading candidate for the younger male lead. An HBO spokesperson told TheWrap “there is no news to confirm on the casting.”
Insiders tell TheWrap that HBO was intent on landing a true movie star, someone who could play rugged and gritty, and they’ve done just that with Farrell, who is nearing a deal for the series’ older male lead. While Farrell’s last movie, “Winter’s Tale,” bombed in theaters, its failure can’t really be attributed to Farrell, who won a Golden Globe for “In Bruges” and is coming off an acclaimed supporting performance in “Saving Mr. Banks.”
Kitsch is coming off strong notices for his performance as a young gay man in HBO’s “The Normal Heart.” While his two movie star vehicles, “Battleship” and “John Carter,” did not live up to the expectations created by their hefty budgets, Kitsch displayed solid chops on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” and in Peter Berg’s “Lone Survivor.” Berg, of course, just worked with HBO on “The Leftovers.” Garrett Hedlund has also been rumored to be in contention for “True Detective” but Kitsch is strongly believed to have an edge on the coveted role.
“True Detective” earned multiple Emmy nominations on Thursday, including nods for Best Drama Series and lead actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, neither of whom will return for the second season, which will be set in California.
HBO had a high bar to clear for the second season, initially pursuing both Christian Bale and Jessica Chastain. Those actors passed on the project due to scheduling issues, as “True Detective” will require a significant time commitment, according to sources.
While creator Nic Pizzolatto indicated Thursday that there are four leads, those familiar with the second season’s scripts have told TheWrap that there are three leads (two men and one woman), with Farrell’s character serving as the primary focus.
I think Chastain was always going to be a pipe dream, even if the part was really good – she simply has too many projects in pre-production. She works pretty much back-to-back and there’s no way she could find six months to do a TV show. As for Taylor Kitsch and Colin Farrell… I don’t hate it but we’ll see what happens. This could be just the boost that both of their careers need. I liked Kitsch in The Normal Heart but if you’re looking for scene-stealers in that film, look no further than Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons. Kitsch is always looking for a project where he can be the “breakout” and it still hasn’t happened, that’s what I’m saying. Maybe True Detective will be it. As for Colin – he’s a more than capable actor, he can do an American accent and turning to TV might be great for his career.
I am curious about the female secondary lead… I’ve heard some dream-casting rumors about Ellen Page? That would be interesting.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
It’s great Colin’s expanding his career but his personal life is still creepy. His last known date was with a 17 year old.
Yikes! 17 years old?
Can you provide a link? I googled “Colin Farrell 17 years old girlfriend” and nothing significant popped out.
Unless you meant James Franco 😉
No I meant Colin. It was an Irish girl he saw when filming The Lobster (what a stupid name). She was 17 and they went out a few times. She called him sleazy and I agree.
You confuse Colin Farrell with james franco
Yeah, I think that’s Franco. I’ve heard stories about Farrell telling girls to call him when they turn 18, which is only marginally better from a creepy point of view but suggests he’s at least being careful to keep things legal.
I was just watching Seven Psychopaths the other night (that movie is awesome) and drooling over Colin Farrell. Sam Rockwell (who is also in Seven Psychopaths) would be another good choice for True Detective. His acting is always great!
I watched it the other night, too! Such a fantastic movie!! I totally agree with you on Sam Rockwell. He is awesome!!
I agree! That film was fantastically entertaining, and Sam Rockwell played his character brilliantly. I could get on board with Farrell in TD, but I’m afraid no one could fill McConahey’s shoes… he was mind-bogglingly good in his role.
I LOVE Sam Rockwell. I need to seek out more of his films.
Colin’s not bad, and I like Kitsch and would like to see him redeem his career a bit, but I don’t know if this is the right vehicle for that. And I’d really like to see better female characters in this one, though Michelle did very well with the little screen time she had.
For a great Sam Rockwell movie, look no farther than Moon. I can’t say enough about that film and his performance in it. He’s great in everything he’s done from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy to The Way Way Back, a movie that was basically ignored except for Steve Carell’s turn as “the bad guy,” but SR brought humor and a bittersweet look at growing up and when to take yourself seriously and when to have fun that moved me. Love him!!
“Those hopes are adorable.” Ha! So true.
Supposedly their dream cast for season 2 was Christian Bale, Michael Fassbender, and Jessica Chastain…which was never going to happen in a million years on scheduling conflicts alone. They were always going to have to go lower on the list.
I actually think Farrall and Kitsch are in a tough spot. They will almost certainly be unfavourably compared to the first season at a time neither of them can really afford it. Hmmm, I just don’t know.
I kinda thought the sausage fest was um… appropriate for the topic, if that’s the right way to put it? I don’t mind male-dominated shows as much as I mind the lack of female-dominated shows. And I thought the whole series was great – just a little let down by the final episode which it took it back to the procedural that the entire thing had thus far been about getting away from.
Farrell? Ugh. Kitsch? I love ol’ Tim Riggins but I’m not entirely sure I’d describe him as having good acting chops. I don’t have anyone in mind for S2 but I definitely DIDN’T have these two in mind!
Ok. Replying to myself (how sad):
Jeff Daniels?
Christopher Walken?
Jamie Foxx?
I’d love to see what Christopher Walken would do in that kind of a role, but I’m not sure he’s up to spending six months on a location project (either physically or in terms of being away from home).
Jamie Foxx is an interesting idea.
Have you seen Scott and Bailey? Totally female centric and wonderfully written.
Yep. We’ve just had a wonderful female-centric police-thriller here in the UK – Happy Valley. I don’t think we should be shoehorning women into stories about men so much as creating stories about women (that aren’t about how to get a boyfriend or get over a disastrous boyfriend).
I love S & B too. Always see the guys as secondary characters. It’s a story of two women’s lives not just the crimes they solve. It’s a watcher for sure.
I agree that shoehorning female characters into an otherwise satisfying and rewarding narrative just for diversity’s sake isn’t really the answer. Tokenism doesn’t really help, and also, I’m not surprised that a show written by a white guy was about white guys. The issue is not to hijack those narratives, but to create spaces for not white guys to tell stories about not white guys. I don’t think it’s fair to mandate to a creator like Nic Pizzolatto, who wants to tell very stylized, specific stories, to diversify if it’s going to hurt his show. We ought to be pushing at HBO for more diverse programming, over all.
Although, in a larger sense, I do think True Detective exposed a very privileged way of thinking/seeing the world. I’ve lived in southern Louisiana, and it’s a very diverse place. Not just white and black, either, but Creole, American Indian, Latino. I didn’t get a sense of that larger community from TD at all, which is weird because Pizzolatto is from Louisiana, so you think he’d be more attuned to it. But then it occurred to me that that’s where the privilege shows. His world is white guys.
I liked the show a lot but Top of the Lake is still my jam.
Top of the Lake was EVERYTHING.
And I agree. I also prefer colour-blind (or gender-blind, or orientation-blind) casting to diversity casting. I know we are talking shades of difference, but the former allows for original character development while the latter too often reduces characters to stocks.
Algernon, this comment is perfection!
That Taylor guy is an awful actor though. I won’t watch if it’s them sorry Colin he doesn’t do it for me and not sure if he’s that good either I can’t remember the last film I have seen with him in it.
I will probably watch but I will be disappointed if Taylor Kitsch gets to be in it. He is really bad.
I loved the first season. I agree with Sixer and Algernon that stuffing women in there just to meet a quota won’t make for a compelling story…but at the same time, Fargo did just fine with a female cop doing some heavy lifting for the story. It really can be as easy as scratching out “John” on the script and writing “Joanna”.
The thing I liked the most about the original was the mood and the imagery. It was incredibly striking and entertaining to me. I actually liked the ending….it was kind of the harsh reality in the face of the “magic” of the bayou, you don’t catch all of the monsters, but you need to celebrate and appreciate if you catch just one.
I think Colin Farrell is a great actor and I think he would do a good job. I like Kitsch from FNL, but I would have to see him in something else to really decide if he would be good in this show.
He does nothing for me. It’s the close-set, beady eyes….
…plus he always looks dirty…
I volunteer to give him a bath!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw “In Bruges” and Seven Psychopaths, and I was pleasantly surprised by CF’s acting in both. Someone upthread mentioned he had a creepy dating situation? Dunno about that. I think True Detective was accurate in that at the time it was set in, most detectives were male. So I’m not sure if sausage was gratuitous or not. I haven’t seen Taylor in anything, so I can’t say…
His eyebrows confuse me. Is there some waxing gone bad happening, or is it really just caterpillar-blank-caterpillar?
Don’t even get me started on the headband.
The headband and the love beads enrage me.
There’s some manscaping happening for sure. Otherwise it would just be: caterpillar. Long-ass caterpillar.
Shit, I was so transfixed with the color coordinating headband that I didn’t even notice the love beads. Long-ass gross.
He does nothing for me either. He’s a tolerable actor. I guess he’d do well on this show.
“It’s the close-set, beady eyes”
Kitten I don’t know how you can say that after you had a thing for Ryan Gosling.
In my opinion, Ryan has more range as an actor and talent goes a long way with me. FTR, I never thought Ryan was hot in a conventional way and I always understood it when people said that he was “average-looking”.
*shrugs*
I know they want to go A list (and really, they thought they could get Bale, Chastain and Fassbender–all of whom are in some variety of every movie that’s coming out in the next few years or so it feels like it–no way could those three make a commitment to the show)…but I feel like they should be going for lesser known actors, someone who is the part and not some one who you say, “Oh it’s so-so.”
That being said, I thought Colin Farrell was woefully miscast in Miami Vice. Not that he was bad, he did the best he could, but if he is cast in this I hope he does a great job. As for Taylor Kitsch, I just don’t see the hype around this guy but who knows?
I do agree that filling Harrelson and McConaughey’s shoes are going to be difficult and the comparisons are going to be unavoidable. Nic Pizzolato, I hope, has written a terrific story for the second season because I think that is what is going to make the season.
Ok, I realize that it must be my cold, empty womb talking (around the metaphoric donut in my mouth) but…does Colin look like he has an industrial-sized flashlight in his trousers in the first picture?
That’s prodigious. It even goes past the logo on his trousers.
Ahem.
Lol Frida_K, I think that’s just his light saber.
Yes, I figured it was something other than what it looked like when I first noticed it.
It definitely made my eyebrows fly upward though.
Check out his sex tape if you have any questions about size
😉
Didn’t they have to edit A Map Of The World because it turned out his full frontal scene was actually distracting?
Ah, those Irish… I mean, look at Colin, Fassy, Liam Neeson… No way it’s just coincidence. I might go there to go on dong safari one day.
You totally should. Irish men have, ehm, it. I talk from first hand experience.
Dong Safari! Lol!!!!!! I love it, sign me up! 😀
Colin Farrell usually pulls off amazing performances, I think he is a very good choice.
And I really don’t want people that are high maintenance on TV. Why bring Fassbender, Chastain or Bale, when others that are just as good or better are waiting for a chance to launch or re-launch their careers?
When Matthew McConaughey took the part of True Detectives he wasn’t so hyped as he is now – and he was amazing. Harrelson wasn’t riding high either at the time.
@ALS I honestly don’t know how serious they were about Bale & Co. I think part of it is hyping the project. Look who we “almost” got, even though it wasn’t close. You see this a lot in casting these days now that it is so public. Another is trying to set out “types” this is the type we are looking for, except instead of the A+ we are looking for actors in the rebuilding stage. It’s interesting.
According to Jeff Sneider,they really wanted Bale.They asked “”him” twice (at the spring and one month ago)
I don’t know if Bale even was interested since he does a break
I’m disappointed. I was hoping for better, I guess. I’ll still watch though.
I for one am looking forward to it. I think it will be great!
I’m game. I will watch. I am not a huge CF fan but I’ll go see anything with “Tim Riggins” in it lol
I have to just say no to Ellen Page. She was perfect in Juno, but nope, cannot see her in a dark drama. She didn’t do well in Inception, and TD is thematically waaaay darker.
Did you see her in Hard Candy ? She was great and it was very,very dark
After watching Hard Candy on second time Page’s performance doesn’t have weight for time. Amateurish and limited at best. Also overrated film imo.
I haven’t, but checked out plot- may watch it, thanks.
Farrell? I can live with that. Directed great, Farrell can bring wonderful performances. I hope a big story because the comparaisons will be terrible.
Kitsch? – Oh no. “The Normal Heart” proved he wasn’t bad, but sorry, his talent is limited and still plain without charisma. Tim Riggins is still an anomaly -Maybe too close to his persona-. He needs a big counterpart to support, unfortunally Farrell isn’t an pivotal actor to supports co-stars -As we saw in other instances-. I prefer Hedlund.
Page? Sorry Kaiser but no. I saw most of Ellen Page filmography and let me add, unless miracles happens, Page will be terrible – Like Dinah said-. Since Juno, her worst performances came in dark dramas -Especially Peacock with Cillian Murphy-, and she’s too limited as an actress.
As a passionate fan of TD, these guys just don’t do it.
Matt and Woody were so in sync with the moody scenery and hypnotic music and so able to get the writing — not many suggestions sound like they could fill their shoes.
I think Farrell is so gorgeous, so witty and articulate, so shaggable (but so much younger than I ) that I go weak at the sight of him. Bad photo above, tis true, but I’m besotted.
I’m a no-TV weirdo….but if he were in this series, I’d probably get one. Sigh…..
I’ve always pulled for CF, I really want him to stay sober…he’s beautiful and just an all around charmer. I have a secret love affair with him and hope he stays solvent as an actor. Double the sigh.
Matthew ( is so hot, even when he’s playing it down) Woody’ and Matthew’s chemistry was 80 percent of what pulled me in , week after week. I’ve even watch EDTv with a new eye, because of their chemistry.
But Coliin Farrell is very hot, I’d watch him read a google page and a he’s a very good actor, I think with the right pairing, he can pull it off.
Maybe Jamie Fox and Collin Farrell? They were pretty good together in Miami Vice.
What about Collin Farrell and Terrance. Howard? I could see them in the roles.
I LOVED True Detective, loved. I think Colin could pull it off, not so sure about Taylor. What made TD great was the natural chemistry that Matthew and Woody have. Both great actors for sure – but they just worked together beautifully. I attribute a lot of that to their off screen friendship. I really don’t know how HBO will be able to do that again.
I don’t know why, but I like Colin Farrell. I’ve been wishing he could find better roles and get the praise I think he deserves. He is capable of great performances, but his film choices where he plays the lead have been awful. TV would do him some much needed good.