True Detective season 5 tipped to be led by new A-list Hollywood movie star
HBO is eyeing another screen icon to fill Jodie Foster's shoes.
HBO crime drama True Detective has never struggled to attract big-name talent to its lead roles, with the upcoming fifth season expected to continue the trend.
Nicolas Cage is reportedly in talks with the prestige US broadcaster to front the next chapter, following in the footsteps of earlier world-famous leads Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Mahershala Ali and Jodie Foster, among others.
Little is known about the premise of the anthological drama, but The Hollywood Reporter writes that it will migrate from Night Country's moody and remote Alaska setting to the decidedly different Jamaica Bay, New York.
Night Country showrunner Issa López is expected to return behind the camera, after inheriting the show from creator Nic Pizzolatto and delivering its most successful season to date in terms of viewership.
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Critics were also kind to the season, led by Foster and boxer-turned-actor Kali Reis, with the former winning an Emmy for her performance as jaded, grieving police chief Liz Danvers.
Presumably, Cage would be playing another detective in the show's canon, with the actor enjoying a comeback over the last decade or so, thanks to roles in acclaimed indie flicks Mandy, Pig and Longlegs, as well as his fan-favourite turn as Spider-Man Noir.
Cage first voiced the retro spin on Marvel's web-slinging superhero in animated film Into the Spider-Verse, but his incarnation has proven so popular that a live-action spin-off series is on its way to Prime Video.
However, despite earning back the popularity lost in a string of critically panned flops in the 2010s, Cage is yet to bag any major award wins since his resurgence, although he came close with 2024's Golden Globe nod for Dream Scenario.
Harrelson, McConaughey, Ali and Foster all earned Primetime Emmy nominations from leading turns in their respective True Detective seasons, although only the Night Country star secured the win along with it.
The show's strong reputation, besides 2015's underwhelming second season, must make it an attractive proposition to Hollywood talent, but Cage hasn't officially signed on to the project just yet – so fans should probably wait before getting overexcited.
True Detective: Night Country is available on Sky and NOW.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
