Los Angeles, March 24 Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali has been cast in a major role in the second season of HBO's acclaimed crime drama "Task".
Ali will play Eddie Barnes, a seasoned and respected DEA agent in Philadelphia, whose team comes into conflict with the unit led by Tom Brandis, the character played by returning star Mark Ruffalo, according to Variety.
The official logline for the new season states that Brandis takes the helm of a new task force, but the deeper the operation runs, the harder it is to tell who is the target. The show is currently in pre-production.
Ali, who won two Academy Awards for best supporting actor for "Moonlight" and "The Green Book", is the first confirmed new cast addition for season two.
Set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, the first season followed FBI agent Tom Brandis as he headed a task force investigating a series of armed robberies against stash houses run by outlaw motorcycle gangs – a trail that leads him to an unsuspecting family man at the centre of the violence.
The first season, which premiered on HBO in September 2025, also featured Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Thuso Mbedu, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Raul Castillo, Silvia Dionicio, Phoebe Fox and Martha Plimpton.
Ali is no stranger to the network, having previously led the third season of HBO's "True Detective", for which he received an Emmy nomination.
He also earned Emmy nominations for Netflix's "House of Cards" and Hulu's "Ramy".
"Task" was created by Brad Ingelsby, who also serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner. Ruffalo executive produces alongside his starring role.