Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller talks season 4 and tackling Silence of the Lambs

It may have achieved a cult following, but Hannibal seemingly bit off more than it could chew and was abruptly cancelled last year. But series creator Bryan Fuller hasn’t cleared the table just yet – he wants a Silence of the Lambs-style season 4 and talks a potential revival mini-series, plus he finally clears up any questions about *that* season 3 finale.

Talking on Blumhouse’s Shock Waves podcast, Fuller also opened up about Hannibal’s cancellation after season 3, even going as far as clearing up confusion over the season finale. Fuller opened up about Will Graham and Hannibal’s fateful fall, “There weren’t going to be any bodies found floating in that lagoon.”

And what about that messed-up dinner party in the post-credits scene? Fuller, in a commonly talkative mood, has answers for that too: “The whole point of showing Gillian Anderson sitting at a table with two additional place settings and her leg on a table was there was a big splash and dinner guests are coming.” If Hannibal was going to be late would Gillian Anderson have given him the cold shoulder?

If that wasn’t already enough to digest, Fuller wants to explore Silence of the Lambs with the original TV cast in a mini-series. “We would have loved to have Silence of the Lambs… I hope we get to tell that story.” A Red Dragon-style TV adaptation has been put on ice so far thanks to the Silence of the Lambs rights being under lockdown for the time being.

Good news may still be on the horizon for Fannibals. The rights to Silence of the Lambs are available next year and, if Fuller has his way, “it would be as a mini-series, here and there.” Possible splashes of Hannibal peppered throughout the next few years? Colour me excited...

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.