Though 2020 has largely been a burning trash pile, the announcement that Showtime's serial killing anti-hero Dexter would be returning for a ninth season was one of the rare, pleasant surprises. Well, according to new reports, audiences won't have to wait too long to join Dexter on his latest adventure, with season 9 reportedly scheduled to begin production in January of next year. But that's not all, with reports also revealing details of the new big-bad that Dex will be going up against, whilst also suggesting that none other than John Cusack is being eyed to star.

Described as a "50-year-old man named Kurt" the character was "born in a Northeast American town, where our story seems to take place, and eventually became a trucker." Kurt soon settled down and "established himself as a beloved leader in the community" and no doubt harbors a dark secret that only Dexter can unearth. Kurt is reportedly a handsome, commanding man, and a true man of the people who "pulled himself up by the bootstraps and realized the American dream". He will also have a son named Matthew, who has created many "messes" over the years, messes that his father has had to clean up. This being Dexter, it's pretty clear what "messes" is code for...

Could it be that Matthew and Kurt are a dark reflection of Dexter and his father, Harry? Only time will tell.

While no official offer appears to have been made, the studio is looking at John Cusack to star as Kurt, with The Shawshank Redemption's Tim Robbins having reportedly passed on the role. Cusack is of course best known for performances in the likes of Con Air, 2012, Say Anything, High Fidelity and the recently cancelled series, Utopia.

The 10-episode Dexter revival series was announced back in October, with showrunner Clyde Phillips since providing some clarity on what to expect when the show returns. "We basically do get to start from scratch. ... Ten years, or however many years, have passed by the time this will air, and the show will reflect that time passage," he revealed. "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."

Michael C. Hall will reprise the title role, withthe series recently enlisting another familiar face in the form of director Marcos Siega, who has signed on to helm and exec produce 6 episodes of the 10-episode miniseries. This should come as welcome news to fans of the show, with Siega being a frequent collaborator of returning Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips, as well as having directed several episodes of the show during its original run.

The Dexter revival has been described as closed-ended, though it will follow on directly from where the original series left off, with the anti-hero having gone into self-imposed exile and living a solitary life as a lumberjack. Production is set to begin in early 2021 with a premiere set for fall of that same year. This comes to us from The Illuminerdi.