True Detective series 2: First look photos of Colin Farell as rough and ready officer released

The actor plays police officer Ray Velcoro alongside Vince Vaughn

Colin Farrell in action mode in series two of True Detective (True Detective)

True Detective fans have been given the first glimpse of Colin Farrell looking rough, ready and really quite sweaty in series two.

The actor has joined the award-winning crime drama in the lead as police officer Ray Velcoro alongside Vince Vaughn’s criminal entrepreneur Frank Semyon, with the pair replacing Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey from the original series.

First look photos, posted on the show’s official Twitter account, show a moustachioed Farrell hiding behind a wall with a gun before an intense stand-off with co-star Taylor Kitsch, who plays Paul Woodrugh.

“It’s a totally different story, with its own characters,” Vaughan told Playboy of the eight-episode run. “The thing that’s consistent is the richness of the characters and the quality of the material. I want to watch this show not because I’m in it but as a fan of the material.”

Showrunner Nic Pizzolatto, who last year was forced to deny plagiarism rumours, previously promised “all new characters” with whom he is “deeply in love”.

The series two storyline “revolves around three police officers and a career criminal who navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder”.

Rachel McAdams also stars, as no-nonsense detective Ani Bezzerides, while Kelly Reilly, Leven Rambin, Christian Campbell, Lolita Davidovich, James Frain and Michael Irby complete the cast.

True Detective series two is expected to arrive on HBO and Sky Atlantic this summer.