Hannibal showrunner reveals why they never did a Silence of the Lambs story

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The Hannibal TV show is widely considered one of the greatest television adaptations of existing material that has been put to the small screen. Despite only running for three seasons, the show was a huge critical success and a major hit with fans. Hopes have remained high that the show will get another life on a streaming service and thanks to its growing popularity via Netflix, that may actually happen. Showrunner Bryan Fuller dived into the world of Thomas Harris' crime novel series give audiences a fresh look at Hannibal and his supporting characters but one of Harris' well-known Hannibal works, "The Silence of the Lambs", was never touched. In a recent interview with "Collider", Fuller breaks down how studio in-fighting prevented them from bringing that story to life.

"Silence of the Lambs is owned by MGM. 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 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. So that's why it's been sort of a sticking point to try to get the Clarice rights because they were like, 'Why would we help you when to…' They're basically Bill Pullman in Sleepless in Seattle."

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS followed rookie FBI agent Clarie Starling as she seeks the aid of notorious prisoner Dr. Hannibal Lecter in stopping 'Buffalo Bill', a serial killer who skins his female victims and wears their hides. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins starred in the 1991 film adaptation of Harris' novel and the film earned them both Academy Awards as well as rare Best Picture win for a film in the thriller/horror genre. Ill-feeling towards the rights incident made MGM unwilling to play ball at the time but time could heal all wounds. There are a lot of rumors brewing that if a new season of Hannibal is made, it will include a fresh take on THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and it's really something that Fuller wants to do.

"If we get a chance to tell The Silence of the Lambs, I think it would be very interesting to have a black or non-white Clarice because as much as you want to say, 'Oh, race doesn't matter!', race totally matters. Race totally changes your point of view. It's a different experience. That would be something that would make that story worth telling again, in a way that we could do what we did with Red Dragon and Hannibal with that character. I hope we get the opportunity to do that. I would love to see Hannibal: The Silence of the Lambs and see Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal with Clarice Starling. As long as I'm alive, I'll be trying to do that."

The Hannibal TV series is based on characters and elements appearing in Thomas Harris' novels "Red Dragon", "Hannibal", and "Hannibal Rising." The main focus is on the relationship between FBI special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham's most cunning enemy and at the same time, the only person who can understand him. The series also stars Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, and Gillian Anderson.

I really hope the whispers of Hannibal getting a second life are true because when it was canceled after three seasons, we lost one of the best series on television at the time. I would love to see them get the opportunity to put a fresh spin on THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS while also staying true to the heart of Harris' source material.

Do YOU want t see the Hannibal TV series take on THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS?