When it was announced that Jeremey Saulnier would be overseeing the third season of True Detective both television and movie fans instantly nodded their heads in approval.
As the director of the likes of “Blue Ruin” and “Green Room” Saulnier has shown an eye for creating atmospheric and intense thrillers that are punctuated with moments of violence.
The same can be said for “True Detective,” too, which over the course of two seasons has captivated audiences with its stylish depiction of its dark and mysterious crimes and murders.
However, the dream soon turned into a nightmare for both Saulnier and “True Detective.”
Because while he was expected to direct at least the first three episodes of “True Detective’s” eight episode run he left after just two episodes due to creative differences.
Last month I had the chance to speak to Saulnier about his recent Netflix film “Hold The Dark,” during which time I asked him about the third season of “True Detective,” provoking him to open up about leaving the show and learning from his departure.
“For me the take away from the show, I don’t really speak too much on the record about it, but I do think that show is gonna offer me a whole ton of challenges and I think it is going to end up really helping my career going forward as far as what I can face when I put my foot down.”
“It was authorship. I refer to the authors, whether it be on a show that someone else wrote or ‘Hold The Dark’ where there was a novelist attached to it.”
“When I am not doing my own work I try my best to be deferential to the creator. But it also gives me the desire to go back to my original work and start writing again.”
“I think bouncing back and forth is my fate. I like to be able to jump on a project if it is great and hone my craft as a director. When I feel like I have something to tell as a creator I have to sit down and start typing.”
Despite Saulnier’s departure, production on “True Detective” season 3, which is set over several decades and stars Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the leading role, finished on time, and it will still debut on HBO on January 13, 2019.
