Apple TV is the home of an incredible legal thriller that seems to show how one actor would be the perfect casting choice for True Detective season 5.
Even though nearly two years have passed since True Detective season 4 ended, not a lot seems to have been revealed about the HBO show’s season 5. What is known is that Issa Lopez is its showrunner again. There were also rumors about Nicolas Cage being considered for a leading part in the upcoming installment, but no confirmations surrounding this have been made yet.
While only time will tell who will play the titular detective duo in the show, one actor needs to be cast as True Detective season 5’s lead after his performance in an Apple TV thriller.
Jake Gyllenhaal Seems Perfect For True Detective Season 5 After Presumed Innocent
The main characters in True Detective, especially in season 1, were never portrayed good men. One of the most famous quotes from the series also perfectly captures this: “The world needs good men.” In Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent, Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Rusty Sabich, seems to be the perfect embodiment of this True Detective archetype.
Like True Detective‘s Rust Cohle and Marty Hart, he has a duality to him that makes him both a principled law practioner and morally skewed family man. His only redeeming trait is his painful awareness of his shortcomings and the lengths he goes to in his pursuit of finding the truth.
Similar to Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, Jake Gyllenhaal puts his acting forte on full display with his complex role and does an incredible job at capturing his character’s inner conflicts. Like Rust and Martin, Presumed Innocent‘s Rusty seems both rootable and hateable. This highlights Gyllenhaal’s ability to make audiences empathize with Rusty’s intelligence and vulnerability even as his choices steadily erode that sympathy.
Considering all the similarities between his role in Presumed Innocent‘s and True Detective‘s characters, it is hard not to see how Jake Gyllenhaal would be the perfect choice for the HBO show’s season 5.
Presumed Innocent is set to return with season 2, but, like True Detective, the show taking an anthology route. Owing to this, Jake Gyllenhaal will not return as its lead. After his Presumed Innocent departure, True Detective could give him the perfect opportunity to continue his small-screen run.
Gyllenhaal’s True Detective Casting Would Continue His Greatest Acting Trend
Jake Gyllenhaal is known for portraying some of the loneliest and morally complex characters on screen. Regardless of whether he is starring in sports dramas like Southpaw or playing the lead in an non-serious action thriller like Roadhouse, his characters are often flawed heroes whose isolation feels self-inflicted rather than circumstantial.
Considering True Detective‘s history of protagonists, the HBO show, too, would give him a similar role and continue his fascinating career trend.
Hopefully, he will be considered for the show’s upcoming installment. If he ends up starring in True Detective season 5 alongside Nicolas Cage, the HBO show could even redeem itself and return to being as good as it was in season 1.
