10 Exact Moments Directors Knew They Wouldn't Make Movie Sequels
9. Jonathan Demme Didn't Like The Hannibal Source Material
Jonathan Demme's The Silence Of The Lambs is considered one of best psychological horror movies of all time. It was released to rave reviews and, at the time, was one of only three films to win the top five categories at the Oscars. Considering it was the second film to involve the Hannibal Lector character, after Michael Mann's Manhunt, it was no surprise that there was often speculation about a follow up.
The only thing that seemed to be holding back Demme from directing another installment was author Thomas Harris. It was his books that the films were based on and he seemed to be taking a very long time finishing the latest novel in the series.
Eventually, after Harris released his follow up, titled Hannibal, the contents of the book were not to Demme's liking. He found the source material lurid and was not comfortable with the amount of gore involved in the story. Nor did he like the direction that Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling's relationship took. He was quoted as saying "And Clarice is drugged up, and she's eating brains with him, and I just thought, 'I can't do this.'"