The Original: Anthony Hopkins The Recast: Mads Mikkelsen Although Hannibal had already been seen on screen before (played by Brian Cox in Manhunter, with the surname Lecktor), it was Anthony Hopkins' performance as the part-time psychiatrist, part-time cannibal that proved so icon-making. Appearing as Lecter for a meagre sixteen minutes, Hopkins' was so utterly unnerving on screen that Hannibal won him the Oscar for Best Actor (not supporting) and has come to dominate his legacy. Things got a little hammy in Hannibal and Red Dragon (particularly the latter, which boasted a boosted screen-time for Hannibal compared to the source novel), but even then it was still an actor having a lot of fun with a morally diverged character. He was first recast in prequel Hannibal Rising, a generic horror film whose only link to the earlier movies was the title, with the casting of Gaspard Ulliel falling into the usual pitfalls of making a character younger. It was always assumed any new Hannibal would exist in Hopkins shadow, so expectations were middling for NBC's drama looking at the psychopath pre-Lambs. Betraying its network TV origins, Hannibal is a cracking piece of brilliantly made television, elevated from a crime procedural by some lushious cinematography and and ever developing plot. The cast is equally brilliant, with Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal being particularly noteworthy. And here's the big whammy; he's better than Hopkins. Given much more time to present a nuanced performance of Lecter and placed central to the plot (rather than as a bystander like in Silence Of The Lambs or Red Dragon), Mikkelsen has matched and bettered the Oscar winner. Which other famous recasts were expected to fail? Let us know in the comments below.
