14 DAY TRIAL // Hannibal Lecter is making a comeback but, this time, it's on TV and not the big screen. Work on NBC's “Hannibal” series is slowly coming along, with Mads Mikkelsen having officially signed to play the lead.
Deadline reports that “Hannibal” will mark the US debut of the Danish-born actor, but it's not the only role he has lined up for Hollywood.
In fact, he will be following it up with something even bigger: Mikkelsen is also the villain in Marvel's upcoming “Thor 2,” so that alone should open countless doors for him in Tinseltown.
“Mads Mikkelsen, hot off winning the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival for The Hunt and scoring the villain role in Thor 2, has been cast as the title character in NBC’s upcoming drama series Hannibal,” Deadline writes.
“In his US TV debut, Danish-born Mikkelsen will star opposite Hugh Dancy in the 13-episode series from Gaumont International Television, written and executive produced by Bryan Fuller and executive produced by Martha DeLaurentiis,” adds the same media outlet.
“The project is described as a contemporary thriller featuring the classic characters from Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon – FBI agent Will Graham (Dancy) and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mikkelsen) – who are re-introduced at the beginning of their budding relationship,” Deadline adds.
In other words, the events in the new series will precede those in the film, because the dark side of Dr. Lecter is not yet known.
One of the best psychiatric minds in the country, Lecter is asked by the FBI to help criminal profiler Graham to track down and capture a serial killer.
NBC did not order a pilot first but a 13-episode season from the get-go, which could only mean that it has a lot of confidence in the project and in the warm reception it will get from the public.
Director David Slade (“Hard Candy” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) will be at the helm of the first episode.
No air date has been set yet, but word online has it “Hannibal” will probably be added to NBC's midseason lineup.