“Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller says his dream project would be a “Silence of the Lambs” adaptation starring Emmy winner Zendaya as Clarice Starling…
“Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller has never given up on returning to the universe he created for the NBC series that ran for three seasons and remains a favorite amongst hardcore fans of the show.
In fact, Fuller would not only love to return to the universe where Mads Mikkelsen portrayed serial killer Hannibal Lecter, but he even has his own idea to recreate “Silence of the Lambs” with an Emmy winner in mind to portray the lead role of Clarice Starling.
“My dream project is to do a limited series of ‘Silence of the Lambs’ with Mads and Zendaya as Clarice Starling,” Fuller told Screenrant. “If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe.”
Of course, Jodie Foster claimed a Best Actress award at the Oscars for her portrayal of Clarice Starling in the film adaptation of “Silence of the Lambs” and she was joined by co-star Anthony Hopkins, who won Best Actor for playing Hannibal Lecter.
In “Hannibal,” Fuller largely adapted his material from author Thomas Harris’ novels including “Red Dragon” as well as “Hannibal” and “Hannibal Rising” with Mikkelsen portraying Lecter and Hugh Dancy playing his nemesis and FBI profiler Will Graham.
The series never dipped into “Silence of the Lambs” because those specific characters — including Clarice Starling — are owned by MGM. A brief sequel series to “Silence of the Lambs” titled “Clarice” ran on CBS for one season before being cancelled amid a less than spectacular reception from viewers.
There’s no telling if Fuller’s vision could ever be realized, especially given the hurdles that would have to be cleared to make anything involving the “Silence of the Lambs” story and characters but getting some buzz going about the idea can’t hurt.
Of course, Zendaya has become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in recent years with her Emmy winning performance on the HBO series “Euphoria” while also receiving rave reviews for her parts in films such as “Dune” and “Dune Part Two” as well as the tennis drama “Challengers.”
Zendaya is currently in the midst of filming the third season of “Euphoria” as well as the third chapter in the “Dune” saga directed by Denis Villeneuve and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” alongside her fiance Tom Holland.