'Dexter' Revival Will Show What The Serial Killer Has Been Up To All These Years, According To Michael C. Hall

It's been eight years since Dexter went off the air. And in those eight years, what has the vigilante serial killer been up to? According to the divisive finale for Clyde Phillips' Showtime crime drama, working as a lumberjack, or something. But the Dexter revival, an upcoming Showtime limited series which will supposedly "make right" the maligned ending of the series, will show exactly what Dexter has been doing for the near-decade that he's been off the air.

It's been nearly a decade since Michael C. Hall last slipped on the splatter-proof apron, but the Dexter star believes that now is a right time to return to the serial killer series.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into Dexter's shoes. I don't really know what to expect, as I've never returned to a job after so much time," Hall said in a recent interview with NME."Having Dexter in a completely different context, we'll see how that feels. It's been interesting to figure out how to do that and I thought it was time to find out what the hell happened to him."

What did happen to Dexter? The infamous finale showed the serial killer moving from Florida to Oregon, while the revival picks up with Dexter in up in upstate New York. Per a Deadline casting report, the revival will see Dexter encountering the local townspeople and local law enforcement, including Angela Bishop, the first Native American chief of police in her town played by The Mandalorian's Julia Jones. Also starring in the 10-episode limited series are Alano Miller (Sylvie's Love), Johnny Sequoyah (Believe) and Jack Alcott (The Good Lord Bird).

It all sounds like the making of a small-town crime drama in which Dexter happens to find himself involved. And it was the distance of that story from the original series that drew Hall to the revival, he said:

"I just needed the persuasion of time passing, so I could [get] some distance away from that part and have more possibilities for him. Really, it was about being presented with a story I felt was worth telling. There had been some other proposals and possibilities for Dexter, other roads we started down, but this was the first one that was worth continuing on."

But as to whether this is a continuation that opens the door to more Dexter or serves as the second finale for the series, Hall was more coy. "I'm reluctant to say 'definitely', you know?" Hall said when asked whether this was "definitely" the ending. "What's plain now is that there's 10 new episodes."

The new limited series begins production this month in Massachusetts, with a tentative premiere date set for the fall of 2021.