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Dexter: Resurrection’s New Serial Killer is Perfect Thanks to a 40 Year Old Cult Thriller

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The villain from the first season was a billionaire named Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage), a man with an obsession for serial killers who had actually never killed anyone until he gunned down Angel Batista in front of Dexter in the penultimate episode. Dexter then had to figure out how to escape from Leon and his bodyguard Charley (Uma Thurman), which ends with Dexter killer Leon and Charley escaping. However, in the end, Dexter finds a file from Prater’s secret files about “Don Frampt, New York Ripper.” Deadline reports Brian Cox will play the New York Ripper.

Former Hannibal Lecter Actor Playing New York Ripper In Dexter: Resurrection

Brian Cox in Manhunter
Image Courtesy of Red Dragon Productions

In a full circle moment for the actor, Brian Cox plays the serial killer known as the New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection Season 2. While it isn’t well known to many fans, Cox was the first actor to ever play Hannibal Lecter in a movie (although it was spelled Hannibal Lecktor in the film) before Anthony Hopkins popularized the character. The movie was titled Manhunter, and this was the first movie based on a Thomas Harris novel, and was the fourth movie Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) ever directed.

Manhunter was based on the novel Red Dragon, which was later remade with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal and Ed Norton as Will Graham. Of course, both Hannibal and Will were the main stars in the television series Hannibal, as well, with Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal and Hugh Dancy as Will. However, in this first movie, it was Brian Cox as the cannibal serial killer, William Petersen (CSI) as Will Graham, and Tom Noonan as the serial killer Francis Dollarhyde. While it is not as well known, Manhunter is actually the superior movie compared to Red Dragon, and was an early look at the masterful filmmaking still to come for Michael Mann.

Brian Cox, who was part of the critically-acclaimed HBO series Succession, will be the next big bad for the new Dexter series, as it seems that the files that Leon Praterย possessed will lead Dexter on a mission to bring down the worst of the worst of serial killers. However, while Brian Cox has signed on as the New York Ripper, the actual log line and synopsis for the season has not been revealed.

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