Seven years after its, uh, polarising series finale, the original showrunner of Dexter has revealed he wants to make the ending “right” in the upcoming reboot.
Clyde Phillips, who initially left the show after its fourth season, is now set to once again take the helm for the new limited series revival.
The reboot will act as a continuation of the original series, which ended with the titular character faking his death to live a life of exile.
It was an ending that proved divisive among fans, something Phillips acknowledged while speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s TV Top 5 podcast (via NME).
“This is an opportunity to make [the ending] right, but that’s not why we’re doing it,” he said, “we’re doing this because there is such a hunger for Dexter out there.”
“We’re not undoing anything. We’re not going to betray the audience and say, ‘Whoops, that was all a dream.’ What happened in the first eight years happened in the first eight years,” he continued.
Phillips even admitted that Dexter himself, Michael C Hall, had not been “completely satisfied” by the show’s conclusion.
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“We want this to not be Dexter season nine,” he said.
“10 years, or however many years, have passed by the time this will air, and the show will reflect that time passage,” he continued.
“In so far as the ending of the show, this will have no resemblance to how the original finale was…it’s a great opportunity to write a second finale for our show.”
The 10-episode new series is currently slated to premiere in late 2021, with Showtime president Gary Levine describing himself describing it as “truly worthy” continuation.
“We would only revisit this unique character if we could find a creative take that was truly worthy of the brilliant, original series,” he said.
“Well, I am happy to report that Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall have found it, and we can’t wait to shoot it and show it to the world!”
Check out Clyde Phillips discussing the original Dexter finale on the TV Top 5 podcast:
