David Cronenberg Also Turned Down 'True Detective' Season 2

True Detective Season 2 polarized much moreso than its first outing, to the point Season 1 director Cary Fukunaga hasn’t even watched it, let alone considered returning. Now, another notable director snubs his nose at Nic Pizzolatto’s sophomore slump, as horror icon David Cronenberg admits to passing over a “bad” script.

Speaking at the Reykjavik International Film Festival (via Vulture), the esteemed director claims to have declined an invitation to direct the True Detective Season 2 premiere, citing issues with the writing. Directorial duties ultimately went to Fast & Furious veteran Justin Lin, while Cronenberg said of his decision:

The heat is in TV. Last year I was approached to direct the first episode of the second season of True Detective, I considered it but I thought that the script was bad, so I didn’t do it. In TV, the director is just a traffic cop, but on the other hand, it is work, and there’s a lot of it.

Granted, Cronenberg’s “bad” doesn’t exactly offer any specific critique, though it’s of continual interest to contemplate the series’ future after such mixed reception to the second season. HBO hasn’t given much indication of intent on a third season, nor has series creator Nic Pizzolatto done any notable interviews since the second season’s end, and a string of bad press certainly doesn’t help.

Cronenberg wasn’t the only one to decline directing duties, others including William Friedkin and Andrew Dominik, but how might HBO answer talk of True Detective Season 3, given all of Season 2's criticism?

Check Out 100 TV Facts You May Not Know!