Over two years since the last season of HBO's thrilling anthology crime drama series "True Detective" aired, the company announced that the series will be returning for a third season. This time, Academy award winner Mahershala Ali will star as the season's lead actor.

Showrunner and series creator Nic Pizzolatto will also return to direct the season along with Jeremy Saulnier, who directed the acclaimed films "Blue Ruin" and "Green Room." Pizzolatto will be the sole writer of the season's episode, except for one episode where he co-wrote with David Milch.

"I'm tremendously thrilled to be working with artists at the level of Mahershala and Jeremy," said Pizzolatto to Variety. "I hope the material can do justice to their talents, and we're all very excited to tell this story."

The new season follows the tale of a macabre crime in the Ozark Mountains. The mystery surrounding the crime will be explored over three decades, and will be played out in three time periods. Ali will be playing the role of Detective Wayne Hays from the state police of Northwest Arkansas.

Ali is best known for his breakthrough performance in the acclaimed film "Moonlight," which garnered him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

"True Detective" broke out during its first season, which starred Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. It was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. Fukunaga did not return for the second season, which featured the star-studded cast of Taylor Kitsch, Colin Farrell, and Rachel McAdams. However, it failed to gain the same level of acclaim as its freshman run.

HBO has not announced the date of release for the show's third season, nor the start date of production. The return of "True Detective" comes following the conclusion of the shortened seventh season of HBO's most watched show "Game of Thrones," which may not return until 2019.