More than 10 years after its final episode aired, Bryan Fuller hasn’t let go of the chilling world of Hannibal. Inspired by Thomas Harris’ classic crime thriller novels, particularly The Red Dragon, Hannibal explored the complex relationship between the ever-terrifying (yet impeccably mannered) Dr. Lecter and criminal profiler Will Graham. Despite its vocal following, the show suffered low viewership and was canceled in its third season, leaving fans with a shocking cliffhanger and little hope of ever receiving a proper ending.
While attending the Toronto International Film Festival, Fuller told ScreenRant that his “dream project” would be to create a limited television series remake of The Silence of the Lambs featuring Mads Mikkelsen reprising his role as Hannibal Lecter and Spider-Man star Zendaya as Clarice Starling.
“If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe.” – Bryan Fuller
Why Clarice Starling Was Missing From NBC’s ‘Hannibal’
A still featuring Jodie Foster as Agent Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs
Orion Pictures
Out of every character in the Hannibal universe, Clarice is one of the most memorable fan favorites who builds a fascinating and twisted relationship with the murderer over the course of Harris’s books. In 1991, she was brought to life on the big screen by Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, as an FBI agent in training who seeks out Hannibal’s (Anthony Hopkins) help while on the hunt for a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine).
Despite her popularity and importance to the story, Clarice was famously unable to be included in NBC’s Hannibal’s original run due to legal issues surrounding the ownership of the character. In a 2020 interview with Collider, Fuller explained that The Silence of the Lambs is owned by MGM, and thus, they have the rights to Clarice, while the De Laurentiis Company owns the rights to Harris’s other novels.
“What happened early on and why there was sort of a sticking point for us with the Clarice rights is that MGM was originally working on a deal with Martha De Laurentiis that had everything in one package, and then Gaumont [International Television] came along and offered Martha a significantly greater deal that MGM couldn’t match. So there’s been a little bit of animosity between the studios because MGM’s like, ‘Hey, you were gonna do it with us,’ and she was like, ‘Yeah, but you didn’t give me the better deal,’ and they were kind of upset about that.” – Bryan Fuller
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