Dexter Revival Casts Shawshank Redemption Star As Main Villain

Showtime’s Dexter revival has found its villain. Last fall, the shocking news emerged that Michael C. Hall was returning to his most iconic role for a redo of the smash hit serial killer drama. As helmed once again by showrunner Clyde Phillips, Dexter will be back for a 10-episode limited series that aims to correct the mistakes of the infamously awful season 8 finale, which wrapped up the original run in 2013.

Ahead of filming kicking off very soon, season 9 has now recruited Dexter’s latest nemesis. Variety has revealed that Clancy Brown has signed up to feature as “Kurt Caldwell, the primary villain.” Even if you don’t know the name, you’ll recognize Brown’s face – or his voice – from various roles across his prolific career, including Daredevil, The Flash, The Shawshank Redemption, Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Universe and Mr. Krabbs in SpongeBob SquarePants. 

Here’s Variety’s breakdown of what we can expect from Brown’s Kurt Caldwell:

“Caldwell is described as the unofficial mayor of the small town of Iron Lake. He’s realized the American dream by going from driving big rigs, just like his father did, to now owning several trucks and the local truck stop. Powerful, generous, loved by everyone – he’s a true man of the people. If he’s got your back, consider yourself blessed. But should you cross Kurt, or hurt anyone that he cares for, God help you.”

This news backs up previous intel from The Illuminerdi, who reported last month that John Cusack was being eyed for the part of “Kurt.” Clearly, then, discussions with the actor fell through and Brown stepped in to land the gig instead. It would’ve been interesting to see Cusack in the show, but Brown always cuts a menacing figure, so he and Hall will no doubt have a great onscreen dynamic.

Both Hall and Phillips have promised that the revival will be an improvement on Dexter season 8 and we know that the limited series won’t retcon the finale but move things ahead 10 years to restart the story somewhat. With production kicking off soon, it’s expected to premiere on Showtime this fall.