NBC’s acclaimed Hannibal TV series’ original concept featured Clarice Starling as the protagonist instead of Will Graham. When Hannibal premiered in 2013 it may have lacked heroine Clarice Starling, but it helped breathe some fresh air into the Lecter franchise, which had fallen on hard times. The Silence of the Lambs remains a timeless classic, but 2001’s Hannibal drew mixed reactions, 2002’s Red Dragon was good but retread ground covered better by Manhunter, while 2007 prequel Hannibal Rising is best left forgotten. Dr. Lecter was badly in need of reinvention, and Bryan Fuller’s TV show gave that to him.
While many understandably cling to the idea that Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning portrayal of Hannibal is the definitive version, Mads Mikkelsen’s small-screen take on the cannibalistic serial killer is amazing in its own way. Mikkelsen’s Hannibal doesn’t at all feel like an attempt to imitate Hopkins’ performance, and that’s a great thing. This allowed the NBC Hannibal TV show to develop its own identity apart from Hopkins’ considerable shadow.
Of course, a villain protagonist is only as good as their hero, and Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham proved to have tremendous chemistry with Mikkelsen’s Hannibal. It’s hard to imagine Hannibal without Lecter and Will’s interplay, but years before Fuller’s vision got produced, an altogether different iteration of Hannibal almost made its way to the airwaves. Hannibal‘s original concept would’ve cast Hannibal opposite Clarice Starling, and while that might sound fine on paper, it also could’ve reduced the not-so-good doctor to a supporting character in his own self-titled show.
![The Original Concept For NBC’s Hannibal Featured Clarice Instead Of Will](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Silence-of-the-Lambs-Clarice-Starling-Hannibal-Lecter.jpg)
When Bryan Fuller came aboard Hannibal, he was already equipped with an idea to further explore the complex relationship between Dr. Lecter and his Red Dragon nemesis Will Graham. However, prior to him joining, producer Martha de Laurentiis considered moving forward on a Hannibal TV show centered on Clarice Starling and Hannibal, in the hopes of revisiting their dynamic from The Silence of the Lambs. MGM, who holds the screen rights to Clarice – which is incidentally the reason Fuller’s Hannibal never adapted Silence of the Lambs – had some discussions with de Laurentiis about the idea, but the latter ultimately backed off.
The main reason de Laurentiis decided not to pursue this original Hannibal concept (via Mental Floss) was that she feared Hannibal becoming more of a background player, and not getting the focus he deserved. Considering how little screen time Hannibal actually has in Silence of the Lambs, de Laurentiis may have been onto something so the concept was discarded. Thankfully, she ended up talking to Fuller and loving his concept for Hannibal, and the rest is history. Funnily enough, CBS and MGM recently aired a show centered on Clarice Starling, with no Hannibal involvement. Its fate is currently up in the air, while fans continue to pine for Fuller to make Hannibal season 4.