Rumor Control: Jessica Chastain Not Offered 'True Detective' Season 2

With most shows, fans can depend on the lead actors to come back season after season. But with an anthology series like True Detective, all bets are off. And so for the past several months, viewers have been speculating and fantasizing about who might fill Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson's shoes for True Detective Season 2.

Officially, HBO hasn't said a single peep on that front. But unofficially, a new rumor has emerged saying Jessica Chastain has been offered a lead role. Too bad it has been quickly denied by camps on both sides of the process. Get the dirt after the jump.

Whether Chastain signs on or not, though, the rumor may offer some clues about the type of actor HBO and series creator Nic Pizzolatto want for True Detective Season 2. They're obviously not afraid to aim high. Chastain is a multiple Oscar nominee who has her pick of film projects. But True Detective's unique format makes it perfect for movie stars who may want to experiment with the small screen, but aren't willing to commit to a long-running series.

The Chastain rumor also fits with Pizzolatto's earlier hints about wanting a more female-centric perspective for Season 2, which apparently centers around "hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system." Chastain can do hard, as evidenced in films like Zero Dark Thirty.

Of course, even if she had been offered the gig, whether she has time would be another question. Chastain has several movies due out over the next couple of years, including Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year, and Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. Promo rounds for some of those could interfere with shooting a long project like True Detective. Recently, she's also signed on for Andrew Dominik's Blonde and been rumored for Mission: Impossible 5.