Bloody "Dexter" To Morph Into Video Game

Dexter Morgan kills people, chops 'em up and then expertly destroys all the evidence - all for what he sees as the "right" reasons.

Soon even the most mild-mannered gamers will be able to go into the dark and twisted mind of the hero of Showtime's hit series "Dexter."

Mark Ecko Entertainment announced Wednesday that it has entered into a production agreement with the cable network to design a videogame based on the series.

"'Dexter' is the extremely rare TV show with enough layers of action and tension to translate perfectly into a compelling videogame," said Marc Fernandez, Vice President of Marc Ecko Entertainment in a statement. "Our game designers, writers, and artists are going to give Dexter's morally complex world the kind of interactivity that gamers will love."

The "Dexter game" is in pre-production and Showtime Networks and Marc Ecko Entertainment are in talks with a handful of developers to bring the game to life. More details will be announced in the coming months.

The Golden Globe and Oscar-winning show is one of Showtime's most popular and executives at the network say it's a hit among gamers.

"It's a very logical jump to create a game with the web site IGN.com naming it 2007's best television program," said Len Fogge, EVP, Marketing, Digital Media and Research at Showtime.

Based on the novel "Darkly, Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, "Dexter" stars Michael C. Hall as a loveable sociopath who's a forensic blood spatter expert for the Miami Dade Police Department. Dexter tries to appear as normal as possible to the outside world, while struggling to channel his compulsion to kill.

The show, which also stars Lauren Velez, David Zayas, and Julie Benz, is currently airing in edited form Sunday nights on CBS.

By Judy Rosen