We weren’t certain how HBO might redeem True Detective after Season 2, but if “David Milch” didn’t get us there, “Mahershala Ali” might. The Luke Cage and Moonlight star is reportedly set to lead the third True Detective installment, which might be further along than we thought.

The Tracking Board reports that Oscar-winner Ali has booked a lead role in True Detective Season 3, with a caveat of “sources caution that Ali’s deal hasn’t closed yet, but insiders are confident.” This is the first we’ve heard of a third season since reports that Deadwood boss David Milch joined in an advisory capacity, so no details of Ali’s potential role, or even the plot have yet been released.

Milch was supposedly “coming on board to work with Pizzolatto,” who himself had written two new episodes for a potential third True Detective. For the moment, HBO has not issued an official Season 3 order, and there’s no promise Milch would act as showrunner in Pizzolatto’s stead.

In fact, Pizzolatto maintains an overall development deal at HBO, which was most recently said to take the shape of a Perry Mason series with Robert Downey Jr. producing and starring. It’s possible True Detective Season 3 could move forward without Pizzolatto’s direct involvement, though interest in a third series seemed to cool after some of HBO’s higher profile failures.

We’ll see if word of Ali’s casting spurs an official announcement from HBO, but is True Detective worth returning to for Mahershala Ali? (Yes. The answer is “yes.”)

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