Jodie Foster steps into the world of True Detective when she heads to Alaska to tackle a dark and sinister investigation in the fourth installment of the hit anthology drama.
The six-part tale opens in mid-December, with eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station in the fictional town of Ennis vanishing without a trace, as the sun sets for the final time that year.
Ennis Police Chief Liz Danvers (Foster) teams up with State Trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), yet the pair soon finds the investigation taking them into the deepest corners of the human soul, in a story that touches upon the supernatural.
True Detective: Night Country is the first time the franchise has featured two female leads and it also has a new showrunner with Issa López taking over from Nic Pizzolatto, who oversaw the three previous seasons.
With actors such as Woody Harrelson, Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell and Mahershala Ali, starring in previous cases, Foster had big boots to fill when she took on this role — yet López knew the double Oscar winner could take the show to new heights.
"She's the best actor alive," she said when we spoke to her at a recent press event. "It's as simple as that. When I started the series, I thought she was the best actor of her generation, but after finishing the series and seeing what she can do..."
"I was blown away by the places she can take a character, the range, the discipline, the depth, the intelligence of the analysis and the generosity towards other actors and younger voices coming along. It was an absolute privilege and a masterclass every day. But it's a problem in the sense that I'm irrevocably spoiled after that experience, I think she ruined me as a director, honestly!"
The six-part drama is a story López started working on more than three years ago, independent from the True Detective franchise, because she had an appetite for the tone of a Western and loved whodunnits.
"I thought that the most interesting way would be to put it in a context that was unexpected," she explains, which is where "a Western in the ice!" was born. Coincidentally, HBO soon called and asked if she would be interested in working on a new chapter of True Detective, yet studio bosses were concerned when she told them of her ambition to write and direct every episode.
"It doesn't happen often, that the same person writes and directs every episode of the series that she conceived," explains López. "So it was a massive privilege, but it was also terrifying. When we finally got the green light I went for dinner with the heads of HBO and they sat down with me and said: 'Listen, we don't think you completely understand what you're getting yourself into. Because every time that single director has directed every episode of a series, they they almost die! They go into crisis!' But every day was a joy and I was very sad when it ended!"
True Detective: Night Country premieres on HBO on Sunday, January 14 in the US and Monday, January 15 on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
