NBC’s ‘Hannibal’ Dish: Will Clarice Starling Appear?

Thursday April 4 will see the unveiling of NBC's Bryan Fuller-helmed serial killer drama 'Hannibal,' exploring the previously unseen relationship between Thomas Harris' iconic serial killer creation Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), and the FBI profiler who would one day put him behind glass, Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).

Early in the canon as NBC's 'Hannibal' takes place, might we expect references, allusions or even appearances to the more well-known characters of the mythos, such as FBI agent Clarice Starling? We had a chance to sit down to lunch with Hannibal Lecter himself, Mads Mikkelsen, who gave us a glimpse into the series' future!

Fans of the classic Thomas Harris novels and their well-known feature adaptions are no doubt eager to check out NBC's forthcoming drama 'Hannibal,' exploring the early days of the titular character's relationship with FBI agent Will Graham. The series strongly focuses on the pairing between the two, but is there room for the Bryan Fuller-helmed drama to incorporate such far-off characters like Clarice Starling, or even homages to the popular films?

Actor Mads Mikkelsen recently sat down to lunch with reporters in New York, and divulged that attentive fans should definitely pay close attention to the details of the series, which could feature cameos of well-known characters, and foreshadowing of film events. Asked about a specific moment from one of the early episodes (NBC would eat us alive if we told you!), Mikkelsen had this to say:

I think Bryan [Fuller] is doing that constantly, you will see that down the line. If you’re a big fan, you will notice something in the set, something in the decoration...a little picture. Absolutely, a host of characters will pop up that is, “oh, couldn’t that have been…?”

He’s definitely been playing with that idea, and I think it’s clever because at the same time it’s embracing that, it’s also detaching from it. It’s becoming a game of his own. It’s very smart.

In addition to Mikkelsen and Dancy, ‘Hannibal’ boasts appearances from such canon characters as Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne), Dr. Frederick Chilton  (Raul Esparza) and Lara Jean Chorostecki as a female interpretation of ‘Red Dragon’ character Freddy Lounds.

What say you? Do you think NBC's 'Hannibal' will come to feature further characters from the novels? Who would you like to see pop up in Bryan Fuller's rendition? Stay tuned for further 'Hannibal' scoops from our conversation with Mads Mikkelsen, check out the latest trailer below, and be sure to catch the premiere on Thursday April 4!