Summary
Fans are excited by the expansion of theDexteruniverse, with the prequel series,Original Sinand the sequelResurrectionset to be followed by a series focused on the infamous serial killer, Arthur Mitchell (a.k.a. The Trinity Killer). John Lithgow will narrate the prequel series, similarly to how Michael C. Hall has been utilized in Dexter’s origin story, butthe legendary actor has also offered some advice to the actor who takes on the role.
There haven’t been any casting announcements forthe Trinity spin-off, aside from Lithgow’s return, but whoever takes on the role of Arthur Mitchell has big shoes to fill.Trinity’s dark passenger doesn’t have a code, like Dexter’s, but Lithgow has stressed that the role requires a certain amount of understanding of whom the serial killer isand how he came to be.
Created by
Clyde Phillips and Scott Reynolds
Platform
Paramount+ with Showtime
The Trinity KIllerwill go down as one ofthe best villains in the Dexter-verse, and that is largely down to John Lithgow’s menacing performance. However,Lithgow’s performance was very nuanced, and he portrayed Arthur Mitchell as a three-dimensional character with good and bad traits.Of course, the bad outweighed the good, as his brutal crimes earned him a place on Dexter’s kill table. Lithgow was interviewed byScreen Rantat the recent Sundance Film Festival, and offered some key advice to the actor set to play the younger version of Trinity:
Just be on his side. Not an easy thing to do, with the Trinity Killer, but be on his side.
This is very simple advice when it comes to taking on the daunting role of Arthur Mitchell in the Trinity Killer spin-off series. However, it’s great advice that applies to any actor taking on the role of the villain.The bad guy never sees themselves that way, and Trinity is no exception.This will be even more relevant forthe Trinity prequel spin-offas it’ll focus on the serial killer’s origin story, and he probably hasn’t fully gone over to the dark side at this point. As revealed in the originalDexterseries, Trinity had a rather troubled childhood, experiencing the trauma of his sister’s death. This incident was considered to be a trigger for the brutal crimes Trinity would go on to commit, and this trauma he suffered will likely be explored in depth in the spin-off.
The Trinity Spin-Off Will Expand Fans' Understanding Of How The Killer Came To Be
Original Sinhas exploredDexter’s origin storyin great detail, withflashbacks to the 1970s timeline, which reveal the events that led to Harry Morgan adopting him. In addition to this, Dexter’s brother, Brian Moser’s own dark passenger has been explored, and it was clear he already possessed evil tendencies before his mother’s death, and the chainsaw wielding murder tipped him over the edge.It’ll be interesting to discover whether Arthur Mitchell already had that darkness inside of him, before he suffered the trauma in his own childhood.John Lithgow is right with his words of wisdom for the new actor taking on the role, because the audience needs to see Arthur Mitchell as a human being if they are going to follow his story throughout the duration of a season.
Of course, that isn’t to say the audience necessarily has to root for him, but at the very least, they need to understand why he became one of the worst serial killers of all time in the Dexter-verse.The casting of the young Trinity killer needs to be spot on to strike the right balance and tone of the series.Luckily, theDexterteam have a good record of re-casting younger versions of iconic characters, withOriginal Sinsucceeding with every role. Patrick Gibson’s iteration of youngDexter Morganis particularly impressive, so the bar is set high for the actor portraying Arthur Mitchell in his formative years.
