‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a young character cast better,’ one fan said. US series Dexter has returned for a brand new series – and the recasting of a key character has “stunned” fans. The show, which originally ran from 2006 to 2013, is back for its second reboot following 2021’s Dexter: New Blood.
![[James Martinez plays a younger version of David Zayas’ Angela Batista in ‘Dexter: Original Sin’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/03/11/Dexter-Angela-Batista.jpg)
Dexter: Original Sin, a prequel series exploring the character’s early years as he navigates his urges to kill, is hoping to bring the show back into favour following the first show’s heavily-derided finale. Patrick Gibson plays the young version of Dexter, with Michael C Hall returning to provide the show’s narration, while many new stars portray younger versions of characters first seen in the original series, including Christian Slater as Dexter’s father Harry and Christina Milian as María LaGuerta.
But it’s the casting of Miami Metro detective Angel Batista that has stunned fans, with many calling James Martinez a dead ringer for David Zayas, the actor who first played him. “Uncanny how much I just accept James Martinez as Angel Batista on Dexter: Original Sin. The cast across the board are honestly good at feeling like the original show but he seems like he just happens to be a young David Zayas.
“Whoever cast James Martinez as young Angel Batista in Dexter: Original Sin really hit the nail on the head. Wow,” one fan wrote, with another stating: “I’ve become more impressed and engrossed with each episode of #DexterOriginalSin . Most impressive for me is James Martinez as Batista. Dude has straight up become David Zayas.”.
