The infamous and brilliant serial killer character Hannibal Lecter is coming to the small screen with a one-hour drama series in the works. According to Coming Soon, Hannibal is one of the projects in development from the new French studio Gaumont, and will concentrate on Lecter’s earlier days when he was pitted against FBI agent Will Graham.
Hannibal was first introduced in a series of horror/thriller novels by Thomas Harris as a cannibalistic serial killer psychiatrist. Since his introduction, Hannibal Lector has attained cultural icon status after a number of novels were made into films, and Anthony Hopkins brought him to haunting life in Silence of the Lambs; a performance that won the Welsh actor an Academy Award.
The project is in development, with Bryan Fuller signed on to write. Fuller has worked on some quirky and fabulously witty TV shows like Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. Under his deft touch, and given Hannibal Lecter as a main character, this series should impress.
Martha De Laurentiis (Hannibal Rising, Red Dragon) is producing the show, another reason to predict success for this new series given her past work on two screen adaptations featuring the creepy but charismatic doctor.
Looks like something to keep a watch for, as Hannibal Lecter’s early years haven’t been delved into onscreen as much as his later years. It also boasts some impressive production and writing creds, and might be a nice series to watch while munching on fava beans and a nice chianti.