Hannibal Announces Killer Casting Choices

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She was a gorgeous guest star on White Collar and he is a veteran of Broadway. Now Anna Chlumsky and Raul Esparza have joined the killer new series, Hannibal.

NBC is the network daring enough to deliver Hannibal Lecter to the small screen. Their upcoming series is called Hannibal and it revolves around the infamous serial killer.

Did you know that the literary character, Hannibal Lecter, M.D., though created by author Thomas Harris, first hit the big screen thanks to actor Benjamin Hendrickson in the 1986 Michael Mann film, Manhunter? And here I always thought Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of the sometime cannibal in 1991′s The Silence of the Lambs was the first on-screen adaptation in the series.

Well, now one of my favorite foreign actors will carry the torch for NBC. Danish star Mads Mikkelsen will portray Dr.Lecter. He first hit my radar as Le Chiffre, opposite Daniel Craig in Casino Royal, but I also really enjoyed his drama After the Wedding.

Joining Mikkelsen on the cast are guest stars Anna Chlumsky and Raul Esparza. Chlumsky, also known as My Girl, is all grown up and will play Miriam Lass, according to TV Line. Lass is a FBI trainee under the wing of Mr. Laurence Fishburne, who will play Special Agent Jack Crawford, head of FBI Behavioral Sciences. Fishburne is also the boss of actor Hugh Dancy’s lead character, Special Agent Will Graham, who is a criminal profiler and serial killers hunter. How’d you like to put that on your resume?

The contemporary drama is set up to revive the Red Dragon novel and will spotlight the relationship between Agent Will Graham his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Dun dun dun!

The series is written and executive-produced by Bryan Fuller of Pushing Daisies fame. Speaking of that show, Raul Esparza is also a Pushing Daisies alumn. He will play Dr. Chilton, administrator of Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

TV Line highlighted other actors Fuller has recast from his stint on Pushing Daisies. They include Caroline Dhavernas, Molly Shannon, Chelan Simons, Ellen Greene and Gina Torres. If you were a big fan of Daisies, you remember Esparza as traveling salesman Alfredo Aldarisio.

One Comment

1. 

   Troy

   November 21, 2012 at 8:50 pm

   Brian Cox played Hannibal Lector in the original film Manhunter (1986), not Benjamin Hendrickson.

   Thanks,
   Troy

   Reply