Hannibal: 10 Things That Would've Happened Next
If you are feeling hungry for more of NBC's Hannibal, let's see where could the show have gone next!
A show that quite literally ended on a cliffhanger, NBC's Hannibal was the show that had us hungry for more. Sadly, Hannibal was cut down after just three seasons, thanks to tumbling ratings and constant schedule movements. The cast were released from their contracts, and the bidding war between networks died down.
Creator Bryan Fuller had reportedly planned a seven-season arc, pulling out Thomas Harris' trilogy of books centering around the cannibalistic psychiatrist. Stars like Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, and Gillian Anderson have gone on to bigger things, but all have expressed an interest for a second course of Hannibal.
While everything has been quieter than an awkward dinner party, fans will be relieved to know that talks are rumoured to be starting up again in early 2017. With Bryan Fuller recently departing Star Trek Discovery, now would be as good a time as any for Dr. Lecter to sharpen his kitchen knives. Could next year be the year that we see "Hannibal Rising" again, or will it all fall flatter than a souffle?
While we salivate over the thought, let's look at where the show could have gone in Season 4 and beyond - my mouth is already watering at the prospect.
10. Hannibal (2001)
The TV show stole not only the namesake, but the majority of the plot devices from 2001's horror-thriller. Gary Oldman's Mason Verger took up the mantra as the film's big bad, and we had the infamous pig scenes. Unfortunately all this was used across Season 3 of the show, but there are still some elements we could have seen.
Presumably developed over a multi-season arc (and assuming they got the rights to Clarice) you would see a final showdown between Lecter and his new FBI plaything. We already saw his psychotropic drug use on Bedelia and the two fleeing to Italy, which is exactly how Robert Harris' book series ended.
However, fans of the films will know that there was a very different ending in the Hopkins era of films, where Clarice handcuffed herself to Hannibal, and he chopped off his own hand to escape. Asking how many lives can one man have, having Hannibal once again "on the lamb" offers either an ending or a continuation for the series.