Bold is not the word. To take on Hannibal Lecter - after the success of Anthony Hopkins in the role - was much more than bold. When this was announced the question was - would Mads Mikkelsen base his acting as a homage to Hopkins's role or would he make it his own? Mikkelsen went to the latter - creating a calm, three-piece-suit wearing cannibal. By day helping his patients, by night killing and eating victims. And, amazingly, Mikkelsen pulled it off. His new approach to the role was refreshing, intriguing and left us thinking "Anthony who?" No disrespect to Mr. Hopkins whose role was extraordinary but Mikkelsen has brought with him a sense of sophistication and understanding of the character. Season two will bring us more of this and - if the newly released trailer is anything to go by - it shows that Mikkelsen is about to get even more terrifying. The trailer - released on Sunday - shows Mikkelsen attacking our beloved Jack Crawford with a kitchen knife and, with Crawford locking himself in a wine room, we see Mikkelsen bolt his body up against a sealed door, blooded, panting and determined. Hannibal's goal of getting Will behind bars succeeded but season two will put him in the spot-light, finally he will be revealed as the cannibal he is. How will he react to this? Hannibal seems pretty cozy in his house, chopping up limbs and serving them to his friends, so how will the fact that his world is going to change go down? Well, if the attacking Crawford snippet is anything to go by, not very quietly. And Mads Mikkelsen will do it as fantastic as ever.
Thomas Stewart is a graduate from the University of Glamorgan and currently a student on the MA in Writing course at the University of Warwick. He is a Freelance Writer for Mens Fashion Magazine, Make and Believe, Smashpipe and more. As well as writing, he loves horror films, folk music, Raymond Carver, patterned jumpers, Richard Yates, curry, Scarlett Thomas, editing, chick-flicks, watches and biscuits.
