Bryan Fuller's brilliant Hannibal series might have come to an end on television this past weekend, but it's possible that we have not yet seen the end of the show's impressive continuity. As we learned back during San Diego Comic-Con, one of the options being pursued for the future of the story is the idea of making a big screen movie - and apparently producers are already out talking to people about making that idea a reality.
With the Hannibal series finale airing last night on NBC, The Hollywood Reporter recently spoke with Bryan Fuller about the show's present, past and future, and it was during the conversation that the showrunner revealed progress for a possible feature follow-up to the series' three season run. At this stage, executive producer Martha De Laurentiis is apparently looking into financing for the project, and Fuller already has a specific idea of the story that he wants to tell in the feature format. He said, careful not to give away too many details,
There is something in the novel Hannibal that has not been done in any of the adaptations and I would love to explore that with Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter. I’m hoping that someday, whether it’s a year from now … two years from now … that we will continue to get to tell that story.
Moving forward with a movie based on the Hannibal series is just one direction that the continuity can move in, but it seems as though it is the one that Bryan Fuller is most excited about pursuing. It's true that he doesn't actually have any feature experience at this point in his career, but he sees stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen as "movie actors," and says that the approach to the show has always been more like independent cinema than normal television. Plus, he acknowledges that the franchise had a great deal of success in the film medium long before it went to the small screen.
It's this last part of his argument that makes the idea of a new Hannibal movie sound like a totally reasonable idea. With the exception of 2007's Hannibal Rising, the Thomas Harris-created franchise has had great success in the feature film world, and one can imagine that audiences wouldn't have much of a problem seeing the characters return - especially given the critical acclaim that the show has received. The only real concern is that movie-goers may avoid it thinking that they will be lost without having seen the series, but people are so familiar with Hannibal Lecter's story that that might not really be an issue.
Do you think that Hannibal should make its way back to the big screen, or do you think that Bryan Fuller should be looking into either a miniseries or a new season somewhere other than NBC? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
