The actor Taylor Kitsch, best known for his long-running role in Friday Night Lights, has confirmed that he'll star alongside Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in True Detective season 2.

Taylor KitschTaylor Kitsch will play a young army veteran in 'True Detective' season 2

Kitsch has been rumored to appear in Nic Pizzolatto's series for months and the Battleship star confirmed the news to AdWeek.

"I'm really excited," he said, "I've just been prepping. It's been almost a full year since I've been on camera, so I'm itching, man. I'm overdue." Kitsch revealed that he'd turned down a ton of work, "keeping a finger crossed that I was going to get True."

More: meet the (probable) cast of 'True Detective' season 2

Pizzolatto's first season was heralded as one of the finest television dramas of all time, with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson turning in career-best performances in a dreamily shot, complex story.

"Having this meeting with Nic Pizzolatto, it kind of brought me back to when I was here in New York and why I wanted to be an actor, why you struggle and why you don't quit," Kitsch said of meeting the show's creator, "And when we're talking, I mean he's obviously incredibly smart and passionate, so that rubs off."

More: finally, we've got a plot for 'True Detective' season 2

Of the ground-breaking first series, Kitsch said: "It was so grounded. It could really happen. This is very similar, and I love that." 

The second season, set in Los Angeles, will see Farrell playing compromised detective Ray Velcoro whose allegiances are torn between a local mobster and his own police department. Vaughn, best known for his comedic roles, will play career criminal Frank Semyon whose move into legitimate enterprise is scuppered by the murder of his business partner. 

Kitsch will play Paul Woodrugh - a 28-year-old military veteran who has seen his fair share of violence and destruction.

Filming is due to begin soon, though the lead female character is still yet to be cast. Elisabeth Moss and Rachel McAdams are set to be the frontrunners.