Season 4 of ‘Hannibal’ Might Finally Be Happening

From Men's Health

NBC's Hannibal might have been off the air since 2015, but fans of the baroque serial killer drama are still hopeful that one more season of death and dining could be on the way. The show, created by Bryan Fuller and based on the novels of Thomas Harris, ran for three seasons and acquired a passionate fanbase before it was canceled. And now the deliciously morbid crime series has found an even wider audience since being added to Netflix in early June.

Not to be confused with the movie of the same name, which starred Anthony Hopkins in the title role (a sequel to the Academy Award-winning The Silence of the Lambs), Hannibal centers on Mads Mikkelsen's performance as charismatic psychiatrist (and secret cannibal) Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Hugh Dancy plays Will Graham, the troubled criminal profiler whose investigations and personal struggles become increasingly entangled with the machinations of the murderous doctor. The show's ensemble cast also included Laurence Fishburne and Gillian Anderson.

When Netflix confirmed that all three seasons of the show would begin streaming on its platform on June 5, it prompted speculation that a long-awaited fourth season might finally be on the cards. Then Mikkelsen himself (who earned critical acclaim for playing Lecter) teased the same thing on his Instagram.

Showrunner Bryan Fuller, who is also behind cult faves Pushing Daisies and American Gods, has maintained that the story of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham could continue on another network or streaming service, telling Vulture in 2015: "NBC canceled the show on NBC. But that does not preclude us from being able to take the show elsewhere." Netflix also has something of a reputation for bringing new life to TV shows which have a proven built-in audience; when Fox canceled Lucifer after three years, Netflix renewed it for a fourth season and made it more popular than ever. It's done the same thing with multiple seasons of another cult show with a large fanbase, Arrested Development.

As recently as last year, Fuller confirmed that he and the cast were still interested in pursuing a fourth season, saying that there is "no expiration date" on the idea.

The show was originally conceived as a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, but the writers always hoped they would be able to eventually include an appearance by FBI agent Clarice Starling (even though MGM, who owned the rights to the character, never agreed). Now CBS is working on its own project, Clarice, which follows Starling in the events following her encounter with Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Whether Netflix might see such renewed interest in Thomas Harris' characters as incentive to greenlight an additional season of Hannibal remains to be seen.

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