Sarah Michelle Gellar is the most recent addition to the Dexter prequel’s star-studded cast.
“It’s going to be a bloody good ride 🩸 🩸 🩸 @sho_dexter,” Gellar, 47, captioned an Instagram post on Thursday, June 27, while announcing the news. The actress is set to play Dexter’s (Patrick Gibson) new boss at the Miami Metro Police Department in Dexter: Original Sin.
Showtime’s president of content Nina Diaz issued a statement about the exciting casting news, saying, “Sarah Michelle Gellar is a pop culture icon who perfectly rounds out our best-in-class cast featuring Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey among others. We’re thrilled to have her return to the Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios family and join the origin story of the Dexter franchise.”
Gellar has joined previously announced cast members Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Molly Brown, James Martinez, Christina Milian, Alex Shimizu and Reno Wilson.
The new series, which is set in 1991, is focused on Dexter’s transition from student to avenging serial killer. With help from his father, Harry (Slater), Dexter will begin his search to find and kill people who he believes should be eliminated from society. The twist is that Dexter’s murderous tendencies pop up after he starts a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
Dexter originally ran from 2006 to 2013 and featured Michael C. Hall in the titular role. After the OG series earned multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, a spinoff titled New Blood was released in 2021 but ended one year later.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to play a young Dexter at this point,” Hall, 53, said in a 2023 interview about the future of the series. “I think that ship sailed even before we started shooting the [original] series, but I’m open to the possibility.”
In February 2023, Showtime also confirmed a new version of Dexter: New Blood, which is set to follow Dexter’s son Harrison (Jack Alcott).
“The Dexter saga has been an undeniable creative and popular success for Showtime, both in its original, groundbreaking form and the record-setting Dexter: New Blood,” read a press release from Paramount president Chris McCarthy at the time. “The series is a rich foundation for other shows in the lane of complex, subversive antiheroes that Showtime has always done so brilliantly.”
The statement continued: “I couldn’t be more excited about exploring and expanding the universe of Dexter. It’s a privilege to contemplate going even deeper with these complex and iconic characters — and the stories, themes and possibilities they inspire. I’m thrilled that Chris and my friends at Showtime want me to help them grow this truly unique and amazingly successful franchise.”
