It looks like Academy Award winning director William Friedkin ("The French Connection") may be considering directing an episode of HBO's hit show "True Detective."
The renowned filmmaker dropped some clues about his involvement in the sophomore season of the program during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
"I am considering it," Friedkin said when he spoke with Jessica Kiang of The Playlist. "I like this writer [Nic Pizzolatto] very much. I've met him, and he's the real deal as far as I'm concerned. Now, all the new seasons are different so I'm not committed—this new season has nothing to do with the last one. Except for him and his sensibility, which I think is extraordinary,"
The 78-year-old director seems positive and upbeat about taking on the assignment. While nothing is confirmed yet, Friedkin sounds ready to tackle television:
"I'm...I can't say much more at this time," Friedkin continued. "But I'm a fan of Pizzolatto's writing, even though this will not be a continuation of what was done before with [Matthew] McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. So what you can say is I'm a huge fan of his writing, I've met with him, I like him, I like the direction he's taking with this."
Since "True Detective" is on a tight deadline to get its second season in the can, Friedkin is upbeat that he will land the plum directing gig for at least one of the second season's episode.
Friedkin apparently likes the direction hour-long TV dramas are going in, and he mentioned a few shows that he believed have taken the place of film in the pop cultural zeitgeist. Shows like "Homeland," "24" and "True Detective" have taken the place of films as water cooler fodder, and Friedkin wants to get in on some of that critical acclaim. While TV is not his preferred medium, the Oscar winner sounds sincere in his passion for the series.
It should be noted that two of his films, "To Live and Die in LA" and "Killer Joe" are being considered for TV adaptations. While nothing is firm yet, Friedkin is a natural choice for a series as hard-boiled as "True Detective."
After all, this is the director who gave us "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist," so he no doubt is up for the task. We will keep you posted on any developments as they are revealed.
