November’s announcement that Showtime had renewed Dexter for two more seasons came with the hint that the eighth could be the last, but it seems at least one person involved with the show isn’t too sure. Executive producer Manny Coto says the show isn’t “really looking at an exit strategy right now,” and even floated the idea of a movie centered around America’s favorite serial killer. Oh, man. Considering that even the most diehard fans I know have bemoaned the decline in quality in recent seasons, might it not be time to mercy-kill the poor guy already? More details after the jump.

Coto mentioned the possibility during an interview with TV Guide (via Geek Tyrant), during which he said that the show will take each season as it comes. “In a way, it’s almost like every season is a form of an end game,” he told the publication. “This season could’ve been an end to Dexter, setting it up for the movies, for example. So every season kind of comes to it’s own conclusion and can be a sort of end game.”

No doubt aware of the rumors his statement would inspire, Coto, who’s previously worked on 24 and Star Trek: Enterprise, quickly clarified that he was “just speculating” about the potential film. “I’ve heard nothing about it,” he said. “I’m actually just projecting from my own experience on 24, where at the end we weren’t going to kill Jack Bauer. We were going to leave him open because down the road there might be a movie. And sure enough, there’s a movie coming.”

With more and more shows considering cinematic follow-ups, Coto’s musings don’t seem too farfetched. If the next few seasons of Dexter are plotted with the idea of a movie sequel in mind, the film could be a great way to end the show with a bang. But with a premise that can only be stretched so far, I suspect lots of people just want to see it move toward a conclusion that makes sense, whether it’s on the small screen or the big one.

Discuss: Would you want to see Dexter hit the movie theater?