News of a "Hannibal" season 4 renewal has sparked again as show creator Bryan Fuller revealed he's in discussions with stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen. In a recent podcast interview, the executive producer and writer said he and the actors are eager to bring the show back, but it might not be that easy.
Bryan Fuller told Entertainment Weekly that he's also discussing a potential return for "Hannibal" season 4 with Martha De Laurentiis, another executive producer. He's got some ideas on what the new season will be about, and it involves "unpacking" the relationship between Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen).
Major obstacles to hurdle
"Hannibal" season 4's major obstacle, however, is in finding a distributor. Even as the actors and producers are committed to doing the show again, no network has signified interest to air the series. Fans want Netflix to take the show, but the streaming site has been mum about this plan. Amazon Prime has the first season and could be the next viable choice, but so far no arrangements have been made about the show's return.
Another hurdle to "Hannibal" season 4 is Bryan Fuller's schedule. He and De Laurentiis are currently busy with "American Gods" on Starz, and it might be hard to manage two high-profile shows at the same time.
Fuller actually had to quit as showrunner for "Star Trek: Discovery" because of his commitments to "American Gods." Meanwhile, Hugh Dancy is also working on his new TV show, "The Path," on Hulu while Mads Mikkelsen has commitments on "Star Wars" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bryan Fuller previously expressed he wants "Hannibal" season 4 to have some elements from "Silence of the Lambs" as a matter of continuity. There are, however, rights issues to the story, which the producers of the 1991 movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster owned.
A beautifully-written show
NBC ran "Hannibal" for three seasons.
Despite less than stellar ratings, the show had a cult following of fans and was critically-acclaimed as a beautifully-written show.
Bryan Fuller was most proud of the fact that the series was categorized as among NBC's best, but it could not get good viewership. Critics grew curious about why the show couldn't appeal commercially. Because "Hannibal" aired on network television, it needed the numbers to sustain longevity as a series. NBC had no choice but to cancel the show as ratings continued to drop.
