Issa López To Write/Direct HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’ Pilot With Barry Jenkins Producing

While there was “Sopranos” and Martin Scorsese’s “Boardwalk Empire” before it, and David Fincher’s participation in “House Of Cards” that paved the way for the streaming age, it’s hard to argue that the show that launched the current era of streaming Peak TV with auteur directors involved was anything other than HBO’s “True Detective,” directed by Cary Fukunaga. While subsequent seasons faced the Herculean challenge of matching the impressive debut season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson and were met with a mixed critical response, just last month, HBO/HBO Max boss Casey Bloys teased an announcement that the fourth season was on the way. And now we’ve finally got that update.

Deadline reports that HBO has recruited Mexican filmmaker Issa López (“Tigers Are Not Afraid”) to write/direct the pilot for “True Detective: Night Country” and Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight,” “The Underground Railroad”) is set to produce as well. The outlet also added that Lucia Puenzo (“Cromo”) and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson were among the various creatives that tried developing a new take on the series.

READ MORE: ‘True Detective’: HBO May Move Ahead With “New Voices” For Season 4 & Without Creator Nic Pizzolatto

“True Detective” creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto’s participation is not really mentioned beyond the assumption that he will have a token executive producer title, and that’s very likely about as far as he will be involved. Pizzolatto, at one point, tried to develop a fourth season, talked about radical new ideas he had for it, but ultimately, HBO never really loved the pitches, and he quietly walked away circa 2019 (and then HBO began teasing a series without him). Pizzolatto had been the primary creative force in the last three seasons and attempted to reunite with Matthew McConaughey on the FX project “Redeemer,” but the cable channel ultimately didn’t pick up the show.

López shared her excitement about the news on Twitter, “I’ve been working in this for a long time, with some incredibly talented people. It’s been so much fun…This is one happy, blessed Mexicana.” The filmmaker had been hired by Blumhouse to helm “Our Lady of Tears” in 2020, and her film “Tigers Are Not Afraid” has been praised by folks such as Guillermo del Toro, Stephen King, and Neil Gaiman.

READ MORE: Issa López To Write & Direct Blumhouse Horror Film ‘Our Lady Of Tears’

Season three, starring Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff, took place in the Ozarks, but it’s unknown what the setting will be for this new incarnation. Could we see a hard-boiled crime story set in Mexico or along the U.S.-Mexican border? Time will tell.