Since “True Detective” debuted, Nic Pizzolatto has slowly developed a taste for directing. Once original season 3 director, Jeremy Saulnier, left the project, the creator stepped up to direct episodes four and five, which seemingly changed how Pizzolatto approached the show. Previously known as somewhat of a fastidious micro-manager — something that Cary Fukunaga struggled with when working with Pizzolatto on “True Detective” — he said that taking on directorial duties taught him to “trust the process and trust the people we hired a bit more,” adding, “I don’t know that I’ve ever felt calmer during production than when I was directing.”
Now, Pizzolatto will be hoping to explore further the calming effects of directing with his feature film debut. He’s previously penned other movies, co-writing the remake of “The Magnificent Seven” in 2016 and adapting his own novel “Galveston” for a 2018 feature. But this will be the first time he oversees a feature-length project as director, which coincides with his departure from “True Detective.” The series’ fourth season will see new showrunner Issa López write and direct her Alaska-based mystery, while Pizzolatto seemingly branches out from the crime dramas he’s thus far been known for. Whether this new direction will suit the “True Detective” creator remains to be seen, but with his show failing to meet the high quality of its first season with the second and third seasons, it certainly seems like a smart move to try something new. Further details will surely arrive in the coming months, and we’ll have more as it develops.
