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True Detective: Night Country Showrunner, Foster on "Lambs" Comparison

True Detective: Night Country Showrunner Issa López & Jodie Foster discuss how the season was influenced by The Silence of the Lambs & more.

With less than a month to go until Showrunner (and so much more) Issa López's (Tigers Are Not Afraid / Vuelven) Jodie Foster & Kali Reis-starring True Detective: Night Country, López and Foster are addressing one of the biggest reasons why we were excited when Foster was announced for the season. Do we need to say it? With The Silence of the Lambs still having such a cultural impact – even after more than thirty years – how could we not want to see Foster in a role that has her solving a creepy mystery & exposing long-buried truths? But during an interview with EW, López explains why those comparisons between "Night Country" and the Academy Award-winning film make sense in terms of how this season connects with the first season – and how David Fincher's Seven comes into play. It's a comparison that Foster understands, explaining how her experiences filming "Night Country" were similar to making the Jonathan Demme-directed film.

"It's [True Detective Season 1] massively influenced by 'Seven.' And then 'Seven' is obviously a direct descendant of 'Silence of the Lambs.' So going to the origin and embracing the very thing that started the whole trend, which is Jodie, and putting her back in the universe, I think, is speaking to the fans," López shared. "It's impossible to do serial killers the same way after Hannibal. The book is extraordinary, but it was the movie [that did that], and it was Jodie, so it was a no-brainer to go back there."

"Honestly. I love the movie [Silence of the Lambs], and I had the same experience making this show as I did making 'Silence.' And I feel like those are the only two experiences I've ever had where you jump on the material because the text is so wonderful, and it speaks to you, and there's so much that you're drawn to in ways that you understand – and in ways that you don't understand," Foster explained. As for the expected comparisons between Clarice Starling and Liz Danvers, Foster's fine with that conversation. "[Laughs] "I suppose that's okay. I've only done it twice, and it is 30-some years later. It is a great movie. So I don't mind the comparison," Foster added.

Joining Foster and Reis are Finn Bennett, Fiona Shaw, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes. In addition, Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, June Thiele, Diane Benson, and Joel D. Montgrand are set to guest star. Now, here's a look at what's to come beginning Sunday, January 14 (9 p.m. ET/PT) with the official trailer for HBO's True Detective: Night Country:

A Preview of HBO's True Detective: Night Country

In the upcoming season of HBO's crime anthology series, Detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) & Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) look to solve the case of eight men operating the Tsalal Arctic Research Station who vanished without a trace when the long winter night fell in Ennis, Alaska. In doing so, the pair will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves and dig into the haunting truths that lie buried under the eternal ice. Now, here's a look at the first official extended teaser for HBO's True Detective: Night Country, set to hit screens later this year:

López is set to write, direct & serve as showrunner, with Alan Page Arriaga (Shining Girls) joining the writing team. Executive producers include López, Page Arriaga, Foster, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski & Mark Ceryak for Pastel, Mari Jo Winkler, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Cary Joji Fukunaga & Nic Pizzolatto, along with Anonymous Content. "We are tremendously excited to return to the 'True Detective' franchise and to be working with the multi-talented Issa López, whose singular vision for her 'Night Country' installment will be beautifully realized with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in the starring roles," said Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, when news of the series order was first announced.

During a recent interview with EW, López offered a heads-up to fans of the anthology series that some very deliberate easter eggs will be in play referencing previous seasons. Following that, López explained her approach to the season and how it differed from past seasons.

"True Detective" Easter Eggs (And a "Big, Big Thing" in the Sixth Episode): "There are Easter eggs throughout that you will find, and there's a big, big thing in episode 6 that you will discover in time. It is its own story, but it's still connected. The spiral is there, the way that there are those dark and ancient gods (perhaps yes, perhaps not) working behind the scenes. It is the same universe."

"Night Country" Won't Be Going Timey-Wimey with Time Jumps: "HBO, you guys are incredible in the way that you trust a crazy Mexican. They were like, 'You can do it. Whatever you want.' Which is terrifying; it's the worst thing," López explained, sharing how HBO gave her the creative freedom to travel down her own narrative path. "I'm not going to follow the format, and I'm not going to follow the way it's shot. I do follow the idea and the aesthetic of this world behind them, and I constantly go back to show you the universe, the world where it's set, which is so unique. This corner of the north, forgotten by the world, Alaska. That I kept. And then the other thing that I thought was brilliant was two characters in a car trying to decipher the workings of the universe and their souls."

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