Shadow and Bone actor Patrick Gibson will replace Michael C. Hall as avenging serial killer Dexter Morgan in the prequel to Showtime series Dexter, which aired from 2006 to 2013, the American television network announced on social media on Thursday.
Set in 1991 Miami, Dexter: Original Sin will feature Gibson as a young Dexter in the 10-episode prequel, which was announced in February 2023.
The original crime drama, starring Michael C. Hall in the titular role, centres on a forensic technician (Dexter) specialising in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami metro police department. However, Dexter moonlights as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down criminals roaming free due to legal loopholes in the judicial system.
The first season of Dexter was based on Jeff Lindsay's 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter and was adapted for television by screenplay writer James Manos Jr. Subsequent seasons diverged from Lindsay’s novels, even though they retained many characters and concepts. The series finale aired on Paramount+ with Showtime on September 22, 2013.
In October 2020, Showtime announced a 10-episode limited sequel series Dexter: New Blood, with Hall reprising his role. This sequel premiered on November 7, 2021 and concluded on January 9, 2022.
Taking place 15 years before the events of the original series, Dexter: Original Sin “will dramatise young Dexter Morgan at the outset of his transition into the avenging serial killer he would become,” states the official logline of the show.
The synopsis further adds, “The show will begin as Dexter graduates college to join Miami Metro, where he meets younger versions of many of the characters we came to know in the original Dexter. And, of course, the show will also focus on Dexter’s family, including a very-much-alive Harry and a very formidable, teenage Deb.”
In the original series, James Remar portrayed Dexter’s adoptive father Harry, and his sister Debra was brought to life by Jennifer Carpenter. The prequel will feature Christian Slater as Harry and Molly Brown as Debra. Clyde Phillips returns as showrunner and executive producer for the prequel series.
The original Dexter series is available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
