Dexter: New Blood to redefine Dexter’s finale with explosive new ending

The ultimate day of this yr’s San Diego Comic-Con featured a digital panel for the revival of Showtime’s hit sequence Dexter, aptly titled Dexter: New Blood. Set 10 years after the present’s controversial ending, Dexter: New Blood picks up with Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Corridor) in his new life within the small city of Iron Lake, New York, having went lacking throughout Hurricane Laura. The digital panel for Dexter: New Blood, which premieres this November, featured Corridor (star and government producers), returning showrunner and government producer Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds (government producer), Marcos Siega (government producer, director of 6 of the ten episodes), and Julia Jones, who performs Angela (Dexter’s love curiosity) on the revival sequence.

Naturally, moderator and mega-fan Kristin Dos Santos’ first query was in regards to the very idea of bringing again Dexter and why Corridor thought now was the appropriate time to do it. In keeping with Phillips, who left the unique sequence after the primary 4 seasons. “About as soon as yearly or so, I’d see a quote from Michael. Someone would all the time ask Michael, ‘Would you do one other yr of Dexter?’ And he says, ‘Nicely, I’m not gonna say no.’ So I’d learn that and I’d name them and we’d discuss it by and we simply couldn’t get the appropriate tackle it that might fulfill Michael and fulfill the followers.”

Nonetheless, in accordance with Phillips, issues finally modified about two yr in the past. “After which lastly, I received a name July 1, 2019 from Gary Levine, who’s the president of Showtime. Saying, ‘We predict now could be the time. Are you able to give you one thing?’” Phillips labored together with his writing assistant after which flew from Martha’s Winery to New York to satisfy with Corridor in regards to the concept. “And we sat and talked for a few hours and ended up hugging it out and, and he mentioned sure.”

Dos Santos additionally requested if this revival is to be thought of a type of “redemption” for a sequence that “frankly deserved a greater ending.” The polarized reactions from followers was an enormous a part of it, Corridor mentioned.

“I believe the ending was ‘mystifying’ at finest to folks. ‘Confounding,’ ‘exasperating,’ ‘irritating’ — on down the road of destructive adjectives. And I believe it is a present that’s essential to all of us, and the prospect to revisit it and, perhaps within the course of, redefine the sense of the present’s ending and the sense of the present’s legacy extra broadly was definitely part of our motivation.”

Earlier than actually moving into Dexter: New Blood, Reynolds additional defined the much-maligned closing scene of Dexter, which imagined the titular character as an off-the-grid lumberjack. “And so he results in Oregon, which throughout that point, once we had been making the present … in accordance with the FBI, there have been like 14, 15 precise serial killers in that type of stretch from Canada right down to Northern California,” Reynolds defined. “And he went there to lumberjack — working with lumber — however he’s always surrounded by the sounds of chainsaws, which could be very significant to Dexter as a result of that’s how his mom was killed. And so, it was ambiguous: Is he right here to be part of the land of serial killers or is the sound of chainsaws that he’s surrounded by going to be the factor that retains him abstinent? And people are the issues that we reply on this new season.”

Nonetheless, Dexter: New Blood doesn’t merely comply with the brand new adventures of lumberjack Dexter. As Phillips defined, “One of many issues that all of us agreed on — and Michael actually insisted on and he was fully proper — is that this not be ‘Dexter season 9.’ That we acknowledge that this isn’t the following second after the lumberjack second. That we acknowledge the reality, that point has handed, nearly 10 years have handed, and we decide up Dexter in one other place, in one other world truly, as far-off from Miami as potential.”

Picture: Randy Tepper/Showtime

The brand new sequence takes place within the fictional city of Iron Lake, New York, which the manufacturing faked in Shelburne Falls in western Massachusetts. The best way the solid and government producers talked in regards to the location makes it sound like its personal character within the revival. “We began taking pictures at the start of February as a result of we would have liked plenty of snow, and we took benefit of that,” Phillips defined. “That frozen lake [from the first teaser] is an actual frozen lake. That’s a single shot that Marcos did in actual time. And we wished it to be a small city—and inhabitants is one thing like 2,700—the place everyone is aware of everyone else. Folks know issues that occurred two seconds in the past.”

The local weather state of affairs proved to be one of the crucial daunting duties for Siega, who’s credited with directing six of the ten episodes of Dexter: New Blood. “We needed to construct the schedule round [weather]. Shoot the entire winter scenes, exteriors, on the finish of January, February, March, at any time when we began,” defined Siega. “After which work our option to interiors. So, the difficult half is we’re taking pictures a Dexter — “Jim” [his alias] — strolling right into a constructing and we shoot that out within the parts. After which in July, we’re choosing it up with the opposite aspect of the door, when he steps inside. So it’s a little bit of a puzzle, maintaining that constant, maintaining performances constant.” In keeping with Reynolds, “It was for positive essentially the most intense 50 days of manufacturing I’ve ever been part of.” Siega agreed, “Completely. However essentially the most enjoyable.”

As for Dexter’s new romantic relationship with Jones’ Angela, the city’s chief of police, historical past suggests issues gained’t go too effectively. In keeping with Phillips, “She’s the primary feminine police chief. She’s the primary particular person of shade police chief. She’s part of the Seneca Nation. And there’s stress there between the city and her. And it additionally provides Dexter — as soon as once more, like we had in Miami — entry to sure items of knowledge. Data an peculiar citizen wouldn’t be capable to get.” Reynolds follows up, “It’s that factor of, some factor’s change and a few issues keep the identical, a little bit bit.”

Jones adopted up on her character, “She’s difficult — I believe that’s the largest factor I’d say about her. She’s received rather a lot occurring. She’s in a beautiful arc, and she or he’s dynamic and she or he has rather a lot to beat. There’s simply a lot to do and a lot to play with. So it was only a actually, actually thrilling alternative.“

The actor additionally famous that she was excited to hitch such a longtime present. “It’s very uncommon that one thing comes up that’s so beloved and has affected so many individuals and other people really feel so passionately about it. And that in and of itself is simply extraordinary […] And also you form of soar at these issues as a result of it simply provides you a chance to be part of one thing that’s in the end connecting folks, which is an enormous deal. Additionally, I had heard simply such great issues about everyone concerned. The truth that Clyde and Scott had been coming again was actually thrilling. And Michael and Marcos.”

Whereas the solid and government producers had been intent on not revealing an excessive amount of in regards to the new season of Dexter, Phillips teased a few issues, one among which included potential returning solid members. “I’ve to be a little bit bit coy about this, however I’ll say that there will probably be some returning solid members from the unique sequence that may make some folks’s brains explode.” John Lithgow and Jennifer Carpenter have each already been confirmed as returning, although the context has but to be given, contemplating each of their characters had been killed within the authentic sequence.

Phillips additionally introduced fairly the promise for what to anticipate on the subject of how this season ends. “After we sit within the writing room, one of many first issues we do is discuss, often, what the ending will probably be,” he defined. “And we name that placing our nostril towards the ending after which strolling backward and filling in all of the both 10 or 12 episodes. The ending of this one will probably be gorgeous, surprising, shocking, sudden. And with out jinxing something, I’ll say that the ending of this new season that we’re doing will blow up the web.” Fairly a promise, certainly.

Dexter: New Blood premieres on Showtime on Sunday, Nov. 7