Hannibal's Creator Has The Perfect Pitch For A New Hannibal Lecter Miniseries

Fans of Bryan Fuller's NBC cannibal mystery procedural "Hannibal" have craved more of the stellar series since its unfortunate cancellation in 2015, and it turns out that Fuller himself has the perfect idea for a way to give those Fannibals what they want. In an interview with ScreenRant, Fuller revealed that he has an idea for a "Silence of the Lambs"-inspired miniseries that would continue the story some time after the ending of "Hannibal" season 3, and he already has a dream actor in mind to play upstart FBI trainee Clarice Starling: "Challengers" and "Dune: Part Two" star Zendaya.

Fuller's "Hannibal" series drew from the Thomas Harris novels about Hannibal the cannibal, primarily "Hannibal" and "Red Dragon," with the latter pretty much serving as the back half of the third and final season. That means "The Silence of the Lambs" would be up next, following Clarice as she tries to hunt down a serial killer the FBI are calling "Buffalo Bill" and goes to the imprisoned Hannibal for help. The story was previously told on-screen in the Academy Award-winning movie of the same name by director Jonathan Demme, which starred Jodi Foster as Clarice and Anthony Hopkins as the charismatic Hannibal. Still, it would be incredible to see Fuller's take on this narrative from within the weird world of his "Hannibal."

While it's rather unlikely that Fannibals would get to see much more of everyone's favorite sad puppy/empath Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) in a "Silence of the Lambs" series, Zendaya would make an absolutely killer Clarice and could hold her on onscreen against Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal. Zendaya has incredible range and is about the right age to play an FBI trainee fresh out of Quantico. She's also great at playing a blend of doe-eyed innocence and hard-earned experience that fits Clarice well. It's something Foster nailed, but which Julianne Moore didn't quite project when she assumed the role in Ridley Scott's follow-up film, also titled "Hannibal." 

Fuller, for his part, succinctly laid out his dream "Hannibal" continuation as follows:

"My dream project is to do a limited series of 'Silence of the Lambs' with Mads and Zendaya as Clarice Starling. If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe."

A limited series with those two going tête-à-tête in various creepy jail cells, mixed with Fuller's more surrealist take on Harris's novels, would be absolutely divine. It's been a decade since "Hannibal" went off the air, meaning the time is absolutely perfect for "The Silence of the Lambs." The Fannibals will always be ready, so here's hoping that Fuller can make his dreams come true.

In the meantime, Fuller's directorial debut, "Dust Bunny," is slated to open in theaters on December 5, 2025.