As the battle for top-tier entertainment on television rages on, it's been announced that TRUE DETECTIVE creator Nic Pizzolatto is moving his overall production deal with HBO to FX, where he will create new projects for the studio's variety of platforms. As per the deal, Pizzolatto plans to reunite with award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey for a new series titled REDEEMER, which we've heard is inspired by Patrick Coleman's novel The Churchgoer. For REDEEMER, McConaughey will star as a former minister-turned-dissolute security guard, whose search for a missing woman in Texas leads him through a corruption and criminal conspiracy, as his past and present impact and entwine around a mystery of escalating violence and deceit. (via THR)
"We are thrilled to begin our creative partnership with Nic Pizzolatto and Matthew McConaughey on Redeemer, who are back together for the first time since the first season of HBO’s True Detective,” said FX Entertainment president Eric Schrier. "We’re also incredibly excited about our overall deal with Nic and look forward to developing new projects with him and our partners Fox 21 Television Studios, and we’re equally excited to be developing projects with Matthew through his first-look deal with FXP."
Pizzolatto and McConaughey will both serve as executive producers on the "southern noir," which also has Bert Salke's Fox 21 and Landgraf's FX Productions producing. With regard to the script-to-series order, FX remains in a position to bypass the traditional pilot order and go straight to series, provided that they like Pizzolatto's script. Now, you can call me crazy if you'd like, but I'm quite certain that everything will come up Milhouse when it comes to REDEEMER getting a straight-to-series order. I say this because REDEEMER stands to mark the first time that Pizzolatto and McConaughey will work together since the first (and arguably best) season of TRUE DETECTIVE arrived on HBO in 2014. Moreover, if it's perspective you'll be needing, consider that the first season earned 12 Emmy nominations, including lead actor for McConaughey and writing for Pizzolatto. At the end of the event, TRUE DETECTIVE walked off the Emmy beat with a total of five wins.
"From the moment we all saw True Detective, we’ve been dying to work with Nic,” said Fox 21 president Salke. "The fact that we get to do this together with our FXP cousins is a best-case scenario. I don’t think there are a lot of writers in town right now who are writing with Nic’s force and emotion. It’s why we’re beyond excited about Nic’s project with Matthew, which is a big priority for both companies."
When it comes to Pizzolatto's decision to exit his HBO setup, sources say that the creator met with executives at the WarnerMedia to discuss a new deal, though ultimately both parties thought it best to part ways.
"I'm very excited at the opportunity to work with Matthew again, and really grateful and thrilled to have the chance to create new shows for Fox 21 and FX," Pizzolatto said in a statement about his creative future.
As for the fate of TRUE DETECTIVE, HBO still holds the rights and could renew the anthology-style crime drama for a fourth season with a new showrunner. While many will say that the show had dipped in quality during its sophomore effort, the third season starring Mahershala Ali had done much to redeem the series in the eyes of viewers. The hope is that if the show is revisited, a new showrunner will take the premise in a bold, new direction.
Are you jazzed about the prospect of Pizzolatto and McConaughey re-teaming for another series? Are you hoping for another season of TRUE DETECTIVE? Let us know in the comments section below.