Hannibal Lecter (franchise)

Last updated
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter novels.png
The Hannibal Lecter series of novels
Created by Thomas Harris
Original work Red Dragon
Owner Amazon MGM Studios
(through Orion Pictures unit)
Years1981–present
Print publications
Novel(s)
Films and television
Film(s)
Television series

The Hannibal Lecter franchise is an American media franchise based around the titular character, Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, cannibalistic serial killer whose assistance is routinely sought out by law enforcement personnel to aid in the capture of other criminals. He originally appeared in a series of novels (starting with Red Dragon in 1981) by Thomas Harris. The series has since expanded into film and television, having four timeline-connected franchise films produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002) and Hannibal Rising (2007), with three starring Anthony Hopkins.

Contents

Novels

Red Dragon (1981)

The Silence of the Lambs (1988)

Hannibal (1999)

Hannibal Rising (2006)

Films

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(s)Screenwriter(s)Producer(s)
Manhunter August 15, 1986 Michael Mann Richard A. Roth
The Silence of the Lambs February 14, 1991 Jonathan Demme Ted Tally Ron Bozman, Kenneth Utt & Edward Saxon
Hannibal February 9, 2001 Ridley Scott David Mamet & Steven Zaillian Ridley Scott, Dino De Laurentiis & Martha De Laurentiis
Red Dragon October 4, 2002 Brett Ratner Ted TallyDino De Laurentiis & Martha De Laurentiis
Hannibal Rising February 9, 2007 Peter Webber Thomas Harris Tarak Ben Ammar, Dino De Laurentiis & Martha De Laurentiis

Manhunter (1986)

The first adaptation was the 1986 film Manhunter, which was an adaptation of Red Dragon, directed by Michael Mann. Brian Cox stars as Hannibal Lecter (in the film, the surname is changed to Lecktor).

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The next adaptation was 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, which was directed by Jonathan Demme and was the first film to feature Anthony Hopkins in the role of Hannibal Lecter. Silence was a success, both critically and financially, and went on to become the third film in Academy Awards history to win in all top five categories (Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Actress for Jodie Foster, Best Director for Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally, and Best Picture).

Hannibal (2001)

Hopkins reprised the role in 2001's Hannibal , a sequel directed by Ridley Scott.

Red Dragon (2002)

Hopkins once again reprised the role in Red Dragon , a prequel directed by Brett Ratner. In 2002, Hopkins revealed that he had written a screenplay for another sequel, ending with Clarice Starling killing Lecter, but it was not produced. [1]

Hannibal Rising (2007)

In 2007, Hannibal Rising was released. The film is a prequel, directed by Peter Webber and starring Gaspard Ulliel as Lecter.

Television

SeriesSeasonsEpisodesFirst releasedLast releasedShowrunner(s)Network(s)
Hannibal 339April 4, 2013August 29, 2015 Bryan Fuller NBC
Clarice 113February 11, 2021June 24, 2021 Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman CBS

Hannibal (2013–2015)

In 2013, the TV series Hannibal premiered. Developed by Bryan Fuller, it is not a direct adaptation, but based on characters and elements from the novels. Some male characters have become female, such as Freddy Lounds, who is renamed Fredricka "Freddie" Lounds. The series has garnered much critical acclaim since its premiere, winning the 2014 and 2015 Saturn Awards for Best Network Television Series, as well as the inaugural Best Action-Thriller Television Series award in 2016.

Clarice (2021)

In May 2012, Lifetime announced to develop a television series centered on Starling after her graduation from the FBI academy, which was to be produced by MGM; [2] the project was never picked up and was shelved. CBS later developed the series of the same name, with Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet as producers, as a sequel to The Silence of the Lambs set in 1993, [3] starring Rebecca Breeds as Starling. [4] The show premiered in 2021.

Cast and characters

CharacterFilmsTelevision series
Manhunter The Silence of the Lambs Hannibal Red Dragon Hannibal Rising Hannibal Clarice
198619912001200220072013–20152021
Hannibal Lecter Brian Cox
(as Hannibal Lecktor)		 Anthony Hopkins Gaspard Ulliel
Aaran Thomas Y 		Mads Mikkelsen
Clarice Starling Jodie Foster
Masha Skorobogatov Y 		Julianne Moore Rebecca Breeds
Maya McNair Y
Will Graham William Petersen Edward Norton Hugh Dancy
Jack Crawford Dennis Farina Scott Glenn Harvey Keitel Laurence Fishburne
Frederick Chilton Benjamin Hendrickson Anthony Heald Anthony Heald Raúl Esparza
Francis Dolarhyde
(The Tooth Fairy)		 Tom Noonan
(as Francis Dollarhyde)		 Ralph Fiennes
Alex D. Linz Y 		Richard Armitage
Buffalo Bill
(Jame Gumb)		 Ted Levine Simon Northwood
Barney Matthews Frankie Faison Jonathan Tucker
(as Matthew Brown)
Freddy Lounds Stephen Lang Philip Seymour Hoffman Lara Jean Chorostecki
(as Fredricka "Freddie" Lounds)
Mason Verger Gary Oldman Michael Pitt
Joe Anderson
Paul Krendler Ron Vawter Ray Liotta Cynthia Nixon
(as Kade Prurnell) [5] 		Michael Cudlitz
Reba McClane Joan Allen Emily Watson Rutina Wesley
Molly Graham Kim Greist Mary-Louise Parker Nina Arianda
Rinaldo Pazzi Giancarlo Giannini Fortunato Cerlino
Cordell Doemling Željko Ivanek Glenn Fleshler
Margot Verger Katharine Isabelle
Vladis Grutas Rhys Ifans
Lady Murasaki Gong Li
Alan Bloom Paul Perri
(as Sidney Bloom)		 Caroline Dhavernas
(as Alana Bloom)
Beverly Katz Michele Shay Elizabeth Dennehy
(as Beverly)		 Hettienne Park
Jimmy Price Dan Butler Stanley Anderson Scott Thompson
Brian Zeller Chris Elliott
(as Zeller)		 Aaron Abrams
Lloyd Bowman Bill Smitrovich Ken Leung
Chiyoh Tao Okamoto
Bedelia Du Maurier Gillian Anderson
Abel Gideon Eddie Izzard
Ardelia Mapp Kasi Lemmons Devyn A. Tyler
Catherine Martin Brooke Smith Marnee Carpenter
Ruth Martin Diane Baker Jayne Atkinson

Reception

Box office performance

The Hannibal Lecter films, when compared to other top-grossing American horror franchises— Alien vs. Predator , Candyman , Child's Play , The Conjuring , The Exorcist , Evil Dead , Final Destination , Friday the 13th , Halloween , Hellraiser , I Know What You Did Last Summer , Jaws , A Nightmare on Elm Street , The Omen , Paranormal Activity , Psycho , The Purge , Saw , Scream , and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre —is one of the highest grossing horror film franchises.

Critical reception

Title Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Manhunter 94% (49 reviews) [6] 75 (22 reviews) [7]
The Silence of the Lambs 95% (153 reviews) [8] 86 (20 reviews) [9]
Hannibal 39% (172 reviews) [10] 57 (36 reviews) [11]
Red Dragon 69% (191 reviews) [12] 60 (36 reviews) [13]
Hannibal Rising 16% (148 reviews) [14] 35 (30 reviews) [15]
Hannibal - Season 1 (2013)82% (68 reviews) [16] 70 (32 reviews) [17]
Hannibal - Season 2 (2014)98% (45 reviews) [18] 88 (14 reviews) [19]
Hannibal - Season 3 (2015)98% (47 reviews) [20] 84 (15 reviews) [21]
Clarice 42% (48 reviews) [22] 56 (33 reviews) [23]

Musical

In 2005, comedian-musicians Jon and Al Kaplan, most famous for their musical re-imaginings of popular films as YouTube musicals, parodied The Silence of the Lambs, especially the film version, in Silence! The Musical . It premiered Off-Off-Broadway and has since had acclaimed productions in London (2009) and Los Angeles (2012). In 2012, it won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle – Score, Lead Performance, Choreography Award. [24]

In 2016, rock band Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends released their second record, The Art of Murder, [25] a concept album which was "directly inspired by the Hannibal Lecter series of books by Thomas Harris". [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (film) 1991 horror film by Jonathan Demme

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris's 1988 novel of the same name. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, and Kasi Lemmons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal Lecter</span> Character created by Thomas Harris

Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character created by the American novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a serial killer who eats his victims. Before his capture, he was a respected forensic psychiatrist; after his incarceration, he is consulted by FBI agents Will Graham and Clarice Starling to help them find other serial killers.

<i>Manhunter</i> (film) 1986 film by Michael Mann

Manhunter is a 1986 American thriller film directed and written by Michael Mann. Based on the 1981 novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, it stars William Petersen as FBI profiler Will Graham. Also featured are Tom Noonan as serial killer Francis Dollarhyde, Dennis Farina as Graham's FBI superior Jack Crawford, and Brian Cox as incarcerated killer Hannibal Lecktor. The film focuses on Graham coming out of retirement to lend his talents to an investigation on Dollarhyde, a killer known as the Tooth Fairy. In doing so, he must confront the demons of his past and meet with Lecktor, who nearly killed Graham.

<i>Hannibal</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Ridley Scott

Hannibal is a 2001 American psychological horror crime thriller film directed by Ridley Scott and based on the 1999 novel by Thomas Harris. A sequel to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, the plot follows disgraced FBI special agent Clarice Starling as she attempts to apprehend cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter before his surviving victim, Mason Verger, captures him. Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as Lecter, while Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster as Starling and Gary Oldman plays Verger. Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, and Francesca Neri also star.

<i>Red Dragon</i> (2002 film) Thriller film directed by Brett Ratner

Red Dragon is a 2002 psychological thriller film based on the 1981 novel by Thomas Harris. It was directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally. It is the third film of the Dino De Laurentiis Company production, last produced by Universal Pictures, and last starred by actor Anthony Hopkins. It follows The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Hannibal (2001) as a prequel, being followed by Hannibal Rising (2007). The film sees FBI agent Will Graham enlisting the help of serial killer Hannibal Lecter to catch another killer, Francis Dolarhyde. Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman also star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarice Starling</span> Fictional character created by Thomas Harris

Clarice M. Starling is a fictional character and protagonist of the novels The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999) by Thomas Harris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Bill (character)</span> Fictional character from The Silence of the Lambs

Jame Gumb is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Thomas Harris's 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs and its 1991 film adaptation, in which he is played by Ted Levine. In the film and the novel, he is a serial killer who murders overweight women and skins them so he can make a "woman suit" for himself. In the television series Clarice, he is portrayed by Simon Northwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Crawford (character)</span> Fictional character

Jack Crawford is a fictional character who appears in the Hannibal Lecter series of novels by Thomas Harris, in which Crawford is the Agent-in-Charge of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. He is modeled after John E. Douglas, who held the same position.

<i>Hannibal Rising</i> (film) 2007 film by Peter Webber

Hannibal Rising is a 2007 psychological thriller drama film and the fifth film of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It is a prequel to Red Dragon, Hannibal and The Silence of the Lambs. The film is an adaptation of Thomas Harris' 2006 novel of the same name and tells the story of Lecter's evolution from a vengeful Nazi hunter into a cannibalistic serial killer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Chilton</span> Fictional character

Dr. Frederick Chilton is a fictional character appearing in Thomas Harris' novels Red Dragon (1981) and The Silence of the Lambs (1988), along with the film and television adaptations of Harris's novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Faison</span> American actor (born 1949)

Frankie Russel Faison is an American actor known for his role as Deputy Commissioner, and, later, Commissioner, Ervin Burrell in the HBO series The Wire, as Barney Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, and as Sugar Bates in the Cinemax series Banshee.

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (novel) 1988 book by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1988 psychological horror novel by Thomas Harris. Published August 29, it is the sequel to Harris's 1981 novel Red Dragon and both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer and brilliant psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. This time, however, he is pitted against FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she works to solve the case of the "Buffalo Bill" serial killer.

<i>Hannibal</i> (Harris novel) 1999 novel by Thomas Harris

Hannibal is a psychological horror novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 1999. It is the third in his series featuring Dr. Hannibal Lecter and the second to feature FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling. The novel takes place seven years after the events of The Silence of the Lambs and deals with the intended revenge of one of Lecter's victims. It was adapted as a film of the same name in 2001, directed by Ridley Scott. Elements of the novel were incorporated into the second season of the NBC television series Hannibal, while the show's third season adapted the plot of the novel.

<i>Red Dragon</i> (novel) 1981 novel by Thomas Harris

Red Dragon is a psychological horror novel by American author Thomas Harris, first published in 1981. The story follows former FBI profiler Will Graham, who comes out of retirement to find and apprehend an enigmatic serial killer nicknamed "the Tooth Fairy". The novel introduces the character Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer whom Graham reluctantly turns to for advice and with whom he has a dark past.

<i>Silence! The Musical</i>

Silence! The Musical is a 2005 musical created by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan as a parody of the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs, which is in turn based on 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. The musical is itself based on a parody screenplay of the same name written by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan.

<i>Hannibal</i> (TV series) American television series

Hannibal is an American psychological horror-thriller television series developed by Bryan Fuller for NBC. The series is based on characters and elements appearing in Thomas Harris' novels Red Dragon (1981), Hannibal (1999), and Hannibal Rising (2006) and focuses on the relationship between Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special investigator Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham's most cunning enemy and at the same time, the only person who can understand him.

<i>Hannibal</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the American television series Hannibal premiered on February 28, 2014. The season is produced by Dino de Laurentiis Company, Living Dead Guy Productions, AXN Original Productions, and Gaumont International Television, with Sidonie Dumas, Christophe Riandee, Katie O'Connell, Elisa Roth, David Slade, Chris Brancato, Michael Rymer, Steve Lightfoot, Martha De Laurentiis, and Bryan Fuller serving as executive producers. Fuller serves as the series developer and showrunner, writing or co-writing eleven episodes of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Graham (character)</span> Fictional character

Will Graham is a fictional character and protagonist of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Graham is also the protagonist of two film adaptations of the novel, Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002), and the television series Hannibal (2013–2015), which adapted various parts of the Hannibal Lecter franchise.

"Kaiseki" is the first episode of the second season of the psychological thriller–horror series Hannibal. It is the 14th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Bryan Fuller and executive producer Steve Lightfoot, and directed by Tim Hunter. It was first broadcast on February 28, 2014, on NBC.

Clarice is a 2021 American crime drama television series created by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet and produced by CBS Studios, MGM Television, and Secret Hideout. It is based on the best-selling 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris and set between the events of the 1991 film and Hannibal (2001). The series stars Rebecca Breeds as the titular character, along with Lucca De Oliveira, Devyn A. Tyler, Kal Penn, Nick Sandow, Michael Cudlitz, and Marnee Carpenter. The series premiered on February 11, 2021, on CBS.

References

  1. ↑ Oldenburg, Ann (October 3, 2002). "Marquee names serve up another helping of Hannibal". USA Today . Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  2. ↑ Schneider, Michael (May 25, 2012). "Exclusive: Lifetime Developing Clarice, Based on Silence of the Lambs Character". TV Guide . Portland, Oregon: NTVB Media. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2020). "'Silence Of The Lambs' Sequel Series 'Clarice' Set At CBS From Alex Kurtzman & Jenny Lumet". Deadline.
  4. ↑ "'Clarice': Rebecca Breeds Cast in the Title Role of CBS' 'Silence of the Lambs' Sequel Pilot". 26 February 2020.
  5. ↑ VanDerWerff, Emily (March 8, 2014). "Hannibal's Bryan Fuller on blending Busby Berkeley with murder". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 6, 2019. Kade Prurnell is an anagram of a character from Hannibal, actually the Ray Liotta character. So it's like, "Your anagrams are showing, Dr. Lecter". We couldn't get the rights to that character, because that character originated in Silence of the Lambs. The character's name was Paul Krendler, and we wanted to call her Paula Krendler, and they said no, because the way the rights go, it's not by the literature, it's actually by the character's introduction. So if a character is first seen in Silence of the Lambs, we're screwed, as far as rights go. In order to change the character so it's not that but sort of services the same mythology in the show and reinvent the character in a way that won't get us sued, [Laughs.] we anagrammed her and made her slightly different from the character in both Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal to our own purposes.
  6. ↑ "Manhunter RT: Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  7. ↑ "Manhunter MC: Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  8. ↑ "Silence of the Lambs RT: Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  9. ↑ "Silence of the Lambs MC: Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  10. ↑ "Hannibal RT: Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  11. ↑ "Hannibal MC: Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  12. ↑ "Red Dragon RT: Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  13. ↑ "Red Dragon MC: Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  14. ↑ "Hannibal Rising RT: Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  15. ↑ "Hannibal Rising MC: Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  16. ↑ "Hannibal: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  17. ↑ "Hannibal Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  18. ↑ "Hannibal: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  19. ↑ "Hannibal Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  20. ↑ "Hannibal: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  21. ↑ "Hannibal Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  22. ↑ "Clarice: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  23. ↑ "Clarice: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  24. ↑ "Home". silencethemusicalnyc.com.
  25. ↑ "The Art of Murder". bandcamp.com. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  26. ↑ "The Art Of Murder – Alternative Tentacles Records". alternative tentacles. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.