Back in 2015, NBC cruelly murdered Hannibal, the small-screen adaptation of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter series, cancelling after three seasons owing to low ratings. A fan campaign to save the show started almost immediately, and series creator/showrunner Bryan Fuller promised that talks would open about reviving the show after two years – as that would mark the point at which the rights to The Silence of The Lambs expire. Well, it's been two years, and true to his word, Fuller is exploring his options.
In a tweet response to a fan, Fuller confirmed that producer Martha De Laurentiis had "started those conversations", but acknowledged that these things "take time". Yesterday, De Laurentiis posted a photo of herself and Fuller, with a Hannibal figurine, sending the Hannibal online fandoms into a frenzy.
The show, which starred Mads Mikkelsen in the title role, largely incorporated elements of the Red Dragon and Hannibal novels, but until now has not featured plotlines from The Silence Of The Lambs, the most famous entry in the series immortalised by the 1991 Jonathan Demme film. That looks to be changing now.
In earlier interviews, Fuller has stated that he would interested in doing a season of "six to eight episodes", described as "Inception meets Angel Heart". With Mikkelsen and co-star Hugh Dancy said to be on board for a potential fourth season, all the pieces seem to be coming together – all it needs is a home. Having cancelled the show first time around, NBC are unlikely to recommission, but Hannibal has enough fans and criticial praise to find a streaming suitor.
It's still early days for the project. Fuller has also tweeted that negotiating rights, arranging various schedules and actually writing and producing the thing means any new season is "at earliest 4-5 years away". It may be require patience, but Hannibal's return is increasingly looking to be a case of 'when', rather than 'if'. Pass the chianti.
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