It’s been five long and sad years since Bryan Fuller’s “Hannibal” was unceremoniously canceled by NBC. While fans keep waiting for good news that the show will be miraculously revived, CBS just went ahead and ate fans’ metaphorical liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti – meaning they have picked up a show about Clarice Starling appropriately titled “Clarice.”
The news comes from the CBS panel during its TCA winter press tour. According to Deadline, the project will be written and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, and has received a big series commitment by CBS and MGM, which owns the rights to the character and the movies based on Thomas Harris’ novels. The show is to be set in 1993, after the events in “The Silence of the Lambs,” and it will be “a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.”
There is certainly a lot to unpack here. There is certainly reason to be concerned that the show would be more of a procedural like most of CBS’s dramas. At the same time, the currently-airing show “Evil” feels as much a black swan (in a good way) as the original “Hannibal” was, pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on traditional network TV. The biggest cause of concern is that, according to the Deadline report, the character of Hannibal Lecter is expected to be part of the series.
READ MORE: ‘Hannibal’ Season 4 Hopes Still Alive According To Bryan Fuller
Fans of Fuller’s “Hannibal” have the right to feel even worse by this news, considering Fuller has previously discussed his goal of adapting “The Silence of the Lambs” in the show’s fourth season. But the rights issue (MGM owns the character of Clarice) has for years put a big question mark around that. If a potential fourth season of “Hannibal” is unable to use Clarice Starling, and “Clarice” doesn’t use Hannibal Lecter, then there is a lot more to be proven by either show. And hey, if Marvel Studios and Sony could partner up on “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” why can’t NBC and MGM?
