CBS is going forward with its “Silence of the Lambs” sequel series “Clarice,” a project that appears to be a workmanlike procedural that suits a major American free-to-air network just fine.
That’s a far cry from the previous attempt at a TV adaptation of the Hannibal Lecter novels that was NBC’s often gonzo, difficult to categorise, highly artistic and ahead of its time series “Hannibal”.
Cancelled in 2015 at the end of the third season with an ending that many still talk about to this day, fan enthusiasm remains high for a potential revival. With the series also having recently jumped over to Netflix from Amazon Prime in the United States, interest in the series has spiked.
At the same time, much of the cast and creator Bryan Fuller recently came together for a Zoom video at Nerdist in an effort to raise money for charity. Understandably questions arose regarding a possible fourth season. From the sounds of it, everyone involved would love to do it but it’s waiting on a platform to express interest. Fuller says:
“I am very hopeful. The great thing about the ideas that I have shared with members of the cast in terms of where we’re going is that if it takes five years, if everyone is interested in coming back, that’s just how long they’ve been on the lam, and the story will pick up from there and we’ll adapt.”
The third season famously ended with both Will and Hannibal taking a swan dive off a cliff into the ocean together. However much of the last two or three episodes dealt with their relationship potentially going to a deeper angle – one of not just obsession but infatuation and deep emotional attachment. In short, are they in love? Fuller wants to explore that:
“Up until the point where I wrote [that scene], I was aware of the fan community wanting a sexualization between the characters, and I was entertained by that greatly and got a kick out of it certainly.
But I was also trying to be true to [author] Thomas Harris and these characters, and Mads’ declaration of Hannibal as the devil. It’s something I am definitely interested in and it feels like we were on a trajectory. We just have to find the most authentic path for that trajectory.
Because of the nature of what would be happening in Season 4 in terms of the grander manipulations that Hannibal has on Will Graham’s mind, I don’t think Hannibal would want to have sex with Will if Will wasn’t in his right mind, and Will won’t be in his right mind in Season 4.”
Fuller also says the look of a potential fourth season would be “sunny and sweaty as compared to the cold harsh realities of Toronto.” Since landing on Netflix, the series has been spotted regularly in the service’s top ten currently most watched list.
