Ever since it was released that the tightly guarded second season of HBO's True Detective would have a female lead, critics and viewers have speculated as to the significance of the role.

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Rumors of Jessica Chastain taking on the role only fueled these theories. When series creator Nick Pizzolatto went to set the record straight, however, he announced that the new season will not necessarily be female "led."

Recently at the Banff World Media Festival, Pizzolatto addressed casting rumors, as well as the recent rumor that True Detective will be female "led" in its second season. "There is a strong female character," Pizzolatto explained, "But I wouldn't say it is female led or anything like that." The season is officially set to have two male leads and one female lead, with the story taking place in California.

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This announcement is also coming after a bit of backlash regarding the treatment of women in the first season of the HBO series.

Nonetheless, it has been suggested that the female role this season will have a voice, contrary to the women of Season 1, where the overlooked Maggie (Michelle Monaghan) functioned as the primary female voice within the series, and even then she struggled to be heard.

Monaghan has admitted that she would gladly return to the series, but with the seasonally shifting cast, her reappearance is not likely.

HBO intends to begin casting the second season of True Detective this month. The series returns to television January 2015.

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