Mos Def Joins "Dexter " (Exclusive)

The actor-hip hop artist has finalized a deal for a multi-episode arc on the sixth season of the Showtime thriller.

Mos Def has finalized a deal for a multi-episode arc on the sixth season of Dexter, according to sources.

The actor and hip hop artist will play a hardened ex-con who claims to have found religion yet seems to continually find himself surrounded by violence. Michael C. Hall’s Dexter will reveal the truth of who he really is.

Production on the sixth season of the Showtime drama thriller begins in June with an eye toward a fall bow. Mos Def joins Colin Hanks — who will appear in all 12 episodes — as one of the upcoming season’s villains. Hanks will play Travis, Dexter’s main nemesis and a highly intelligent ancient artifacts expert who is linked to a series of grisly murders in Miami.

At this point it unclear in how many episodes Mos Def will appear. But he is one of multiple recurring characters who will populate the show after the dispatching of season five guest stars including Jonny Lee Miller, Julia Stiles and Peter Weller.

Mos Def has appeared in numerous television series including House, The Boondocks and the kid’s show Yo Gabba Gabba!

Dexter continues to perform well for Showtime and ordering a sixth season of the series was one of the first moves for Showtime entertainment president David Nevins upon taking the job last year. Dexter’s fifth season was its most-watched to date averaging over 5 million viewers a week (in linear and on-demand plays). The fifth season finale rivaled season four’s cliffhanger closer, pulling in 2.5 million viewers on its first airing.

5/11/2011 by Marisa Guthrie hollywoodreporter.com