Ever since Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson bewitched us in the chillingly brilliant, existential mind-fuck that was the first season of True Detective, we’ve craved to re-enter the world of writer Nic Pizzolatto. Those who stuck out the second season will know that, despite the impressive but arguably conflicting cast of talent, it never came close to satiating that hunger for Louisiana bayous, the buttery philosophising of Rust Cohle and creepy locations made of twigs.

Now though, after an extended hiatus in which the likelihood of a third season had all but disappeared, comes the first trailer for that much-anticipated third chapter, starring Moonlight‘s Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali. Set for release in January 2019, the synopsis released by HBO reads: “The next instalment of True Detective tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.”

Set in the Ozarks, a region of the US encompassing Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, the plot centres around Wayne Hays (Ali) and his investigation into the disappearance of two children from the eighties. With the aid of Alien: Covenant‘s Carmen Ejogo, who has joined the cast as schoolteacher Amelia Reardon, and Ray Fisher – DC’s Cyborg in Justice League – who will play Hays’ son, the investigation will force Hays to confront his own past and estranged family. HERO cover star Brandon Flynn will also star.

After Jeremy Saulnier, the director and screenwriter behind Green Room, pulled out of the season after two episodes due to a scheduling clash, it was announced that Daniel Sackheim, the veteran Emmy Award winner who recently directed several Game of Thrones episodes would replace him. Elsewhere, David Milch has joined the writing team and is expected to work alongside Pizzolatto on shaping the narrative of the remaining six episodes.

True Detective season three will air in January 2018.