Actress Rachel McAdams has beaten the competition to land the female lead in the hotly anticipated second season of HBO series True Detective.

The Mean Girls star will play Ani Bezzerides, a detective with uncompromising ethics and a troubled past.

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McAdams is rumoured to have beaten out several other actresses for the role, including Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss and Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain.

She joins an all-star cast which includes Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell and Hollywood hunk Taylor Kitsch.

Vince Vaughn (left) and Colin Farrell are True Detective’s newest stars. Photos: Getty

Vaugh plays protagonist Frank Semyon, a dishonest former thug trying to get a railway installed in Southern California so he can profit.

British actress Kelly Reilly will play Semyon’s wife, Jordan, a former actress and Semyon’s partner in crime.

Farrell will play troubled detective Ray Velcoro, a corrupt cop torn between the mafia and his loyalty to the force.

Kitsch will take on the role of Paul Woodrugh, a damaged veteran who is also rumoured to be the show’s third detective character.

In contrast to season one, which took place in Louisiana, the show’s second season will be set in Los Angeles.

The first season of the show also received criticism for being too male-dominated, an opinion which creator Nic Pizzolatto appears to have taken on board.

In this season, the murder victim will be a man, not a woman, in the form of a city manager caught up in Vaughn’s character’s corrupt deal. He is reportedly found dead with Satanic symbols etched on his chest.