Why Night Country Makes a Perfect True Detective Story

Exit Nic Pizzolatto. Season 4 of the criminal anthology takes the original concept and sends it to Alaska, for a new investigation that did everything to keep the “True Det” flavor. Explanations with its designer, Issa López.

There was Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell & Rachel McAdams, Mahershala Ali & Stephen Dorff. And this time, they are Jodie Foster And Kali Reis who will be the news True Detective from HBO, to be seen from Monday in France on Prime Video with the Warner pass.

Titled Night Country, the new story takes place in Alaska. A season 4 which arrives five years after the previous one and ten years after the original season. “HBO was looking to revive True Detective for a while”tells Première Issa Lopez, who wrote and directed all 8 episodes. “They talked to a bunch of different producers. They sought to recreate this feeling, this flavor specific to True Detective ! They saw my film Tigers are not afraid. And it reminded them of the series. So they called me and asked me what I could do with it.…”

Because after two disappointing seasons, unable to find the levels of Marty and Rust in Louisiana, Nick Pizzolatto was landed. “No, there was no involvement from the old producers. They did a great job at the time, but here I am taking over the legacy“, confides the Mexican filmmaker to us. But how can we rediscover the spirit of the show without its creator, the soul of True Detective ? The reflection ofIssa Lopez was simple:

“When HBO asked me what I had in mind for Season 4 of True DetectiveI wondered what made True Detective was True Detective. Since it’s an anthology, I knew I would be able to change a lot of elements. But I also wondered about what should be preserved from the first seasons. It begged to ask: what made the series so brilliant and so impactful for the whole world? I believe it was the feeling of disaster that spoke to people in this way. Sordid murders committed in the shadows, truly horrible things, very secret, in a distant environment, a small corner of America where terrible things happen and everyone looks the other way. In that, the decor was already a major element.”

To give relief to this lugubrious cinematography and this macabre atmosphere, the director knew that the other crucial factor, “that would be the dynamic of the duo. A pair with a heavy history, opposing visions and their own demons, who must solve this mystery while ignoring their problems. I had to succeed in preserving, embracing these basic elements of True Detective. And from there, I was able to make the story I wanted. As long as this atmosphere of secrecy remained present in the background of the setting, I was able to completely change the setting. I was able to model my characters, make them female detectives, with their own ways of thinking.”

And then Night Country goes even further. For the first time, season 4 concretizes the notion of a shared universe by including references to past seasons in its dialogues and plots: “We are in the same universe as that of season 1. There are winks throughout the season, characters who are directly or indirectly linked to what happened at the time.“tease Issa Lopez. “VSThese are small mentions that we slipped here or there and which confirm that Night Country takes place in the same world as that of True Detective by Marty and Rust!“

True Detective: Night Country, 8 episodes, to watch from January 15, 2024 in France Prime Video with the Warner Pass.