Mahershala Ali in talks for potential third season of True Detective

Mahershala Ali could become the next high-profile actor to take the lead in HBO’s moody crime drama True Detective.

The recent Oscar winner is in talks to star in a possible third season of the anthology series, EW has confirmed, though a deal has not been reached.

HBO declined to comment.

Should the talks pan out and a third season get the green light, Ali will follow in the footsteps of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who starred in the first season, and Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch, who headlined the second.

While the debut season of True Detective garnered critical acclaim and became a pop culture phenomenon, the sophomore season was widely panned, raising questions about the series’ future.

RELATED: True Detective Season 3 Revived, David Milch Joins Team

EW broke the news in March that True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto had penned at least two episodes for a potential third season, and that Emmy-winning writer-producer David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue) had come aboard to work with him. Plot details have yet to emerge.

Ali won the Oscar for supporting actor earlier this year for his work in Moonlight, and his other screen credits include House of Cards, Luke Cage, and Hidden Figures.

The Tracking Board first reported the news about Ali.