True Detective season 2 to not be a murder mystery?

Series could see police chase an 'elusive criminal'

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey will not return for the second season

The blood had barely dried on True Detective's first season before talk turned to season 2, and rumours surrounding its cast and plot are now rife, including one that suggests it won't revolve around a serial killer.

Shunning the perception by some that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were almost solely responsible for its quality and success, the show will cast an entirely new detective duo for its next outing, and it looks as though the central plot could be different too.

Creator Nic Pizzolato reportedly told The Wrap that the story might not be a murder mystery but see the detectives chasing an elusive criminal instead.

There would no doubt still be murder and death along the way, but this suggests the case might not be murder-centric this time around.

Pizzolato added in an interview with HitFix that season 2 is about "bad men, hard women and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system."

There has certainly been no shortage of actresses declaring themselves up for the role of a "hard woman", with Kate Mara, Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig all being rumoured (though take these with a pinch of salt) and Emma Stone telling Vogue she would do it "in a heartbeat".

Brad Pitt is among the men linked for a part meanwhile, though it's possible this started when someone went "Hey, he played one half of a detective duo in Se7en, and that was pretty dark too".

The A-lister rumours show just how big the show (and television as whole has come), the gossip being reminiscent of that surrounding a Hollywood blockbuster.