Daniel Sackheim Takes Over As 'True Detective' Season 3 Director

Getty Images

“True Detective” director Jeremy Saulnier is exiting the HBO show’s third season after two episodes due to scheduling conflicts, the network said Friday.

Daniel Sackheim will take over the role, and creator Nic Pizzolatto will be making his directorial debut.

“Director and executive producer Jeremy Saulnier has completed the first two episodes of ‘True Detective’ Season 3 and will be departing the production due to scheduling issues,” HBO said in a statement Friday. “Daniel Sackheim has come on board as a director and executive producer for the series alongside series creator and director Nic Pizzolatto.”

Also Read: 'True Detective' Season 3 Adds 'Justice League' Star Ray Fisher as Series Regular

The third season of the anthology series takes place in the Ozarks and tell the story of a “macabre” crime that plays out over three separate time periods.

Mahershala Ali stars as state police detective Wayne Hays, with Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”) as Arkansas school teacher Amelia Reardon and Stephen Dorff as Arkansas state investigator Roland West. The cast also includes Scoot McNairy and Ray Fisher.

Every episode of the season will be written by Pizzolatto, with David Milch serving as co-writer on the fourth episode of the season. Pizzolatto will also serve as executive producer on the series alongside Scott Stephens.

Also Read: 'True Detective': Scoot McNairy to Join Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo for Season 3

Steve Golin, Bard Dorros and Richard Brown of Anonymous Content are also executive producers, as are series vets Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Variety was first to report the news.

The Evolution of Rachel McAdams: From 'Mean Girls' to 'Game Night' (Photos)

Rachel McAdams has played everything from the bitchy prom queen in "Mean Girls" to the studious and cutthroat journalist in "Spotlight," demonstrating range as a dramatic actress and comedienne. This week she stars in the R-rated comedy "Game Night" alongside Jason Bateman. Maybe "Fetch" was never going to happen, but looking back at her career, you knew McAdams would eventually hit it big.
"The Famous Jett Jackson"
Cute little Rachel McAdams got her break playing a guest role on the Disney Channel show "The Famous Jett Jackson."
Disney
"Mean Girls"
She then showed her darker side and terrified us as queen bee Regina George in the 2004 comedy "Mean Girls."
Paramount Pictures
"The Notebook"
Pull out the Kleenex! McAdams and Ryan Gosling stole our hearts in the epic 2004 tearjerker "The Notebook," based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.
New Line Cinema
"Wedding Crashers"
McAdams came along for the raunchy ride with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in 2005's hit comedy "Wedding Crashers."
New Line Cinema
"The Lucky Ones"
McAdams played a soldier returning from war alongside Tim Robbins in 2008's "The Lucky Ones."
Lionsgate
"Sherlock Holmes"
McAdams made a turn toward mainstream franchises, playing a professional thief in 2009's "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.
Warner Bros
"Midnight in Paris"
McAdams teamed up with Owen Wilson (again) and Woody Allen for the 2011 Oscar winner "Midnight in Paris," kicking off a stretch of prestige films in which she worked with auteur director such as Terrence Malick on "To the Wonder," Brian de Palma on "Passion" and Wim Wenders on "Every Thing Will Be Fine."
Sony Pictures Classics
"A Most Wanted Man"
The actress co-starred with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his last roles in 2014's "A Most Wanted Man," directed by Anton Corbijn.
Roadside Attractions
"Aloha"
McAdams put on a lei and a hula dress to join Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone in the 2015 Hawaiian-based misfire.
Sony Pictures
"True Detective"
McAdams plays a detective with strong morals struggling in a corrupt system in Season 2 of HBO's "True Detective."
HBO
"Spotlight"
McAdams would be nominated for her first Oscar for portraying Boston Globe journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in the Best Picture-winning "Spotlight."
Open Road Films
"Doctor Strange"
McAdams made her superhero movie debut in 2016, starring as a surgeon opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in the Marvel film "Doctor Strange."
Marvel
"Game Night"
McAdams returned to her comedic roots in 2018 with "Game Night," starring with Jason Bateman as a couple that hosts a game night with friends that goes violently, and hilariously, wrong.
New Line Cinema

1 of 14

McAdams has gone from queen of the Plastics to “True Detective” to an Oscar nominee in the span of her career

Rachel McAdams has played everything from the bitchy prom queen in "Mean Girls" to the studious and cutthroat journalist in "Spotlight," demonstrating range as a dramatic actress and comedienne. This week she stars in the R-rated comedy "Game Night" alongside Jason Bateman. Maybe "Fetch" was never going to happen, but looking back at her career, you knew McAdams would eventually hit it big.

View In Gallery