True Detective was one of the most interesting and engaging shows to emerge this year. A heavyweight cast headlined by Matthew McConnaughey and Woody Harrelson lead us into a deep, disturbing story about a grizzly Louisiana murder case that two detectives tried to untangle whilst contending with their disastrous personal lives (and each other). Much like the similarly excellent Fargo, the show felt very insular, all the loose ends were tied off in the final episode with little no scope for continuation, at least not with those characters.

Until recently it wasn’t clear whether or not the show would actually get a second season, then earlier in the summer casting rumors began to circulate. The list of potential candidates ranged from Michael Fassbender to Brad Pitt to Jessica Chastain, but now it seems like some concrete decisions are finally being made. Colin Farrell and Taylor Kitsch are reportedly going to play the older and younger facets of a police partnership, whilst Vince Vaughn is the front runner to play the central antagonist. Another, female police officer is apparently part of the central cast, at present both Elizabeth Moss and Rachel McAdams are contending for it.

On the other side of the camera, director Justin Lin has been attached for some time. Lin is best known for his work on the Fast & Furious series, but he also put some time in directing a few episodes of Community and the pilot of the upcoming Scorpion. No word yet on whether or not Cary Fukanaga will return to directing duties at all, personally I really hope he does, especially if he has anything as magnificent as that insane mid-series biker brawl left up his sleeves. The season is due to start shooting as soon as next month, in and around Los Angeles.

The first series followed the grim exploits of a mysterious satanic cult, headed by the ‘Yellow King’. The case was chronicled over almost 20 years as it became clear just how deep the corruption ran. It was a hard, nihilistic commentary on the fallibility and voracity of the American man. This time around, the jump-off is the discovery of a body on a Californian highway coated with occult symbols. The victim is a corrupt business man who was involved in a critical transportation deal to remedy state highway congestion. So it would seem the satanic, cultist ideas and imagery are going to run through the core of the show once again. Series creator and head writer Nic Pizzolatto claims the season’s basis is “the secret occult history of the United States transportation system”.

He could well be referring the General Motors streetcar conspiracy admittedly nobody died as a direct result of it, but it was a well-documented, far reaching scandal. Another possibility is something based on The Bohemian Grove, a sect of Californian men (including a few ex-presidents, all republican) who sit in an uncomfortable region that lies somewhere between freemasonry and the island people from The Wicker Man. Again, they don’t kill people (so far as we know), but strange rituals abound (mostly involving nudity and a giant owl with the voice of Walter Cronkite). I imagine any basis in reality will become clearer with time, the first season was heavily inspired by a very real, deeply disturbing criminal case involving a satanic sect in a Louisiana parish that committed heinous acts of child-abuse, bestiality and other awful things before the pastor at the center of it all came forward in 2005. You can find out more here.

What is encouraging is that HBO heavyweight Michael Lombardo has read the first two episodes and claims that they are a major step up from season 1. The series is currently earmarked for a summer 2015 air date. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments.