First look at True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto’s debut film Easy’s Waltz revealed

True Detective stayed in the cultural memory for how it looked at people on the edge. A series that lingered because of the weight of its atmosphere. Now Nic Pizzolatto, the mind behind it, is stepping into cinema. Entertainment Weekly unveiled the first look at Easy’s Waltz, his feature directing debut. Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino lead the cast, and the film is already on the schedule for the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025.

The news matters for more than one reason. It is not just another debut. It is the result of years of back and forth between Pizzolatto and Vaughn, who had already worked together on the second season of True Detective. That collaboration seems to have carried enough energy to survive almost a decade and finally turn into something new. Easy’s Waltz is the outcome, a story that mixes the fall of a singer with the unlikely spark of a comeback.

True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto’s debut as director

Easy’s Waltz stands as Pizzolatto’s first time directing a feature. He was known as a writer and creator of True Detective, but here the credit shifts. The film places him in charge of shaping not just words on paper but everything on screen. According to EW, it has been a long project for Vaughn as well, who held onto the idea and worked to see it through. Together, they are now presenting it as a completed film.

Al Pacino in Easy's Waltz | Image by Nigel Bluck via EW

The story and the leads

The film follows Easy, the character embodied by Vince Vaughn. He is a Las Vegas crooner, long past his golden moment, who gets a final chance when noticed by Mickey Albano, played by Al Pacino. Albano is introduced as a veteran casino booker who still sees potential in a man most had forgotten. Their relationship becomes the center of the narrative. True Detective season 2 alum Vince Vaughn is joined by Kate Mara, Simon Rex, and Shania Twain, names that add more range to the cast.

What the first look shows

The preview released by Entertainment Weekly makes clear the environment of the film. Neon lights, stages set for performers, the glow of Vegas. Vaughn is shown singing, and that is not incidental. He performs more than a dozen songs throughout the film, from Little Drummer Boy to Edge of Seventeen. The arrangements came together with music producer Keefus Ciancia, who guided the True Detective actor in shaping the performances.

Pacino’s role as Mickey Albano is described as mercurial. The magazine highlighted how his presence defines the story’s rhythm. In interviews, Pacino praised Vaughn’s work, calling his performance inspiring. Comments like that give weight, especially when coming from an actor who has seen and done so much on screen.

Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino in Easy's Waltz | Image via Nigel Bluck for EW

Behind the curtain

Entertainment Weekly reported that Vaughn recorded all songs in the studio before shooting. Once completed, they were used as playback during the scenes. This meant the focus on the set was not on hitting each note live but rather building the mood. The True Detective season 2 actor described the recording process as one of experimentation, finding what each song could mean for the character in the moment.

It is not the first time Vaughn has sung in public. He has done it in a film like The Internship and even at a baseball game. But Easy’s Waltz asks more. Here, his singing voice carries a full narrative. Pacino even noted that Vaughn seemed like a real Vegas headliner. That observation fits the design of the film, where music and story are inseparable.

Tone and composition

The film is framed as a drama that uses music to carry emotion. The set of voices and performances creates a space close to the world of show business, where glamour and fragility appear together. With Shania Twain among the cast, that connection to music becomes even more direct. The early images show Vaughn on stage, Pacino in watchful silence, and a story unfolding between them, while the influence of True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is felt in the tone of the debut.

Vince Vaughn in Easy's Waltz | Image via Nigel Bluck for EW

Premiere in Toronto

Easy’s Waltz is scheduled to premiere on September 11, 2025, at the Toronto International Film Festival. It will be Pizzolatto’s formal introduction as a feature director, bringing his work beyond television. TIFF often introduces projects that set the tone for the rest of the year, and this film will join that lineup with its world premiere.

Closing thoughts

Easy’s Waltz brings together Nic Pizzolatto, Vince Vaughn, and Al Pacino in a project shaped by music and performance. Vaughn takes on the role of a singer at the edge of obscurity, Pacino plays the veteran who sees something left to believe in, and Pizzolatto directs it all for the first time. With its Toronto debut set, the film arrives as both a new step in the career of the True Detective creator and a showcase for an unusual collaboration between two actors of different generations.