Ever since Detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) made their mark in the first season of HBO's taut drama True Detective, fans have been wondering just who would star in the anthology's follow-up season. If tonight's news pans out, one of those leads could very well be Jessica Chastain. The successful show, which is boldly vying for a Best Drama Series instead of Miniseries at this year's Emmy Awards, was rumored to see a change in genders of the lead roles in its second season, so the Zero Dark Thirty actress would certainly be an inspired choice. Hit the jump for more. [This story has been updated after the jump]
Nerdist reports
that Chastain has been offered a lead in season two of writer Nic Pizzolatto's second season of True Detective, but has yet to accept. We previously posted some of Pizzolatto's comments (ie teases) about season two, some of which follow below:
“[The reaction to season one] has informed exactly one thing. It’s that I realize I need to keep being strange. Don’t play the next one straight. ... This is really early, but I’ll tell you [it's about] hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system.”
Looks like Chastain has the opportunity to play one of those hard women. Again. She's already earned two Oscar nominations for her character turns in The Help, and more notably, Zero Dark Thirty, in which she played, admirably, a woman of strong convictions in a military man's world. Outside of the Oscar spotlight, Chastain also stood strong in John Hillcoat's Lawless and, surprisingly, Andres Muschietti's horror film, Mama. While we wait to hear back from Chastain's camp on the True Detective decision, we can anticipate seeing her on screen in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year, and Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak, just to name a few.
Update: E! Online is reporting that that Chastain's reps are denying her involvement in the series, and so is HBO. If this is the case, it's possible that Chastain might co-star in Mission: Impossible 5.
