Michael C. Hall Adapting Matthew Specktor’s ‘American Dream Machine’ for Showtime (Exclusive)

Showtime is back in the Michael C. Hall business.

The premium network is developing a project, based on Matthew Specktor’s novel American Dream Machine, in which the Dexter star will serve as an executive producer. The effort is set in Hollywood in the 1970s and will move back and forth to modern times.

The book, which was released this spring, is the story of a talent agent and his troubled sons — two generations of Hollywood royalty. It’s billed as a sweeping narrative about fathers and sons, the movie business and the sundry sea changes that have come to shape Hollywood.

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Though Hall is said to be eyeing a small part in the ensemble if the project moves to pilot, he will be more focused on his role behind the scenes. The move follows a recent episode of Dexter, which Hall directed. He also serves as an executive producer on the serial killer drama. For the American Dream adaptation, Hall has enlisted Dexter showrunner Scott Buck to supervise the script, which Specktor is writing.

The news comes mere weeks after Showtime confirmed that Dexter’s upcoming eighth season will be its last. “When it debuted in 2006, Dexter redefined the genre by taking the anti-hero to new heights and pushing the boundaries of the television landscape,” Showtime chairman and CEO Matt Blank said at the time. The final season of Dexter will bow June 30, and Showtime entertainment president David Nevins has said he wouldn’t rule out a Dexter spinoff.

For his part, Specktor’s other credits include Summertime Sound as well as a nonfiction book about the film The Sting. He is a senior editor and founding member of the Los Angeles Review of Books, and is repped by UTA and Marc Gerald at the Agency Group. Hall is repped by WME, Authentic and attorney Jodi Peikoff.