The creator of TV’s Hannibal wants to make a series with Zendaya as Clarice Starling. The show Hannibal was inspired by Thomas Harris’ novels, 1981’s Red Dragon, 1999’s Hannibal, and 2006’s Hannibal Rising. Those same books introduced Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, two of the most legendary modern cinematic and literary characters.
Widely regarded as a resourceful and extremely intelligent Silence of the Lambs character, Clarice also has a compelling screen presence. As a result, the character has been included in several movies and TV shows. While Jodie Foster’s portrayal of Clarice from The Silence of the Lambs is the most famous version, Julianne Moore and Rebecca Breeds have also memorably brought her to life.
In an interview with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan for Dust Bunny at TIFF, Hannibal’s creator, Bryan Fuller, has now revealed who he wants to bring his version of Clarice to life. During his promotional tour for Dust Bunny, a horror movie that stars Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen, Fuller talked about his legendary psychological horror show that ended too soon.
While speaking to ScreenRant, Fuller was asked about the possibility of Hannibal returning. In response, Fuller revealed that he dreamed of creating a show that would feature Mikkelsen’s version of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and a version of Clarice portrayed by Zendaya.
ScreenRant: At one point, wasn’t there talk of more Hannibal?
Bryan Fuller: My dream project is to do a limited series of Silence of the Lambs with Mads and Zendaya as Clarice Starling. If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe.
What This Means For Dr. Hannibal Lecter And Clarice Starling’s Onscreen Future
As a television writer and producer, Bryan Fuller hworked on several Star Trek shows as a writer, and he created the show Pushing Daisies, which is widely regarded as a cult classic. Most of all, Fuller created Hannibal, a show that is based on legendary books and characters.
There are many writers who would be eager to tell stories about Thomas Harris’ characters. Yet, it was Fuller who was able to convince the rightsholders and the powerbrokers at NBC to allow him to put his stamp on the legendary franchise. Not only that, Hannibal was a show that was imbued with its creators’ vision.
The logical reality is that Fuller bringing a show to life with Zendaya portraying Clarice is unlikely. Still, keeping in mind the incredible things that Fuller has accomplished, betting against him to make his latest vision a reality feels unwise.
Our Take On Zendaya Portraying Clarice Starling
Before Fuller’s new comments, I never considered the idea of Zendaya bringing Clarice Starling to life. When I think of her, it is the Spider-Man movies that come to mind first and her role in those films doesn’t scream Clarice to me.
After reflecting on Bryan Fuller wanting to cast Zendaya as Clarice, however, I’m not surprised that I now believe he saw something I didn’t. As the star of the show Euphoria and the movie Challengers, Zendaya has proven that she is an incredible actor who can pull from a massive pool of emotion.
Based on these past credits and Fuller believing that Zendaya would be perfect for the role of Clarice, I now want to see that happen. It would be even better if she played the character in a Hannibal revival.
