'Moonlight' Star Mahershala Ali in Talks for 'True Detective' Season 3

Photo: Jordan Strauss

As HBO ponders the possibility of a third season of True Detective, it appears Oscar winner Mahershala Ali could soon have a deal to star.

Deadline reported Friday night the actor, who won the supporting actor Academy Award earlier this year for his role in Moonlight, is in early discussions to join True Detective as one of the leads.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations made clear Ali is still in "very early" discussions. And it's worth noting, HBO has yet to officially order a third season of the anthology series, which became a hit in its first year in 2014 but disappointed many critics and fans alike during its 2015 second season.

As we reported in March, creator Nic Pizzolatto is said to have completed multiple episodes for a third installment and NYPD Blue/Deadwood vet David Milch has joined the writing team.

HBO's head of programming Casey Bloys last summer called the project "a valuable franchise" and acknowledged the network was still "open to another season," assuring fans "it's not dead." 

Ali's previous TV credits include his prominent role as Remy Danton for four seasons of House of Cards as well as a recurring role on fellow Netflix series Luke Cage