Nicolas Cage in Talks for ‘True Detective’ Season 5

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Aug 24

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Oscar winner Nicolas Cage is circling the lead role in HBO’s fifth season of True Detective, with Issa López returning as showrunner.

HBO’s acclaimed anthology series True Detective may soon welcome one of Hollywood’s most unpredictable icons. Nicolas Cage is in talks to headline the upcoming fifth season, sources confirm, marking a rare turn to television for the Oscar-winning actor.

Cage is negotiating to star as Henry Logan, a New York detective at the center of the new case. While the deal has yet to officially close, he has been circling the part for months, echoing the extended talks that brought Jodie Foster to last season’s True Detective: Night Country.

Season 5 marks the return of Issa López, who will again serve as writer and showrunner after the success of Night Country, which earned Foster an Emmy for her role opposite Kali Reis. Speaking earlier this year, HBO’s Head of Drama Series Francesca Orsi teased that the new story will be set in New York’s Jamaica Bay, noting:

“Issa has a lot to say, not unlike she did with Night Country. It’s a different milieu but just as powerful.”

— Francesca Orsi

Filming on True Detective Season 5 is expected to begin in 2026 with a planned 2027 premiere on HBO.

Cage’s casting would continue the series’ tradition of pairing its moody, atmospheric cases with heavyweight stars. Previous seasons featured Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson (Season 1), Colin Farrell (Season 2), Mahershala Ali (Season 3), and Foster in Season 4.

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While López has promised new characters and a self-contained story, she also teased “important connections” between Season 5 and the haunting events of Ennis, Alaska, from Night Country.

For Cage, True Detective would mark his second major TV project after headlining Prime Video’s upcoming Spider-Noir, signaling a surprising shift into prestige television after decades of big-screen work.