The Danish actor, who starred as James Bond's nemesis in 'Casino Royale', will portray the title character in the TV adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel 'Red Dragon'.
- June 5, 2012
AceShowbiz -
NBC has found its Hannibal Lecter. Mads Mikkelsen has been tapped in the titular role of the Peacock's upcoming drama series "Hannibal". He will star opposite Hugh Dancy who has been earlier cast as Will Graham.
Based on characters in Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon", the upcoming series will focus on FBI agent Graham and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter. They will be "re-introduced at the beginning of their budding relationship."
Bryan Fuller, who co-creates the show, will serve the executive producer along with Martha De Laurentiis, who has produced three Hannibal feature films: "Hannibal", "Red Dragon" and "Hannibal Rising". NBC has given a 13-episode order for the drama, which is slated to premiere sometime in midseason.
"It's before he was incarcerated, so he's more of a peacock," Fuller recently said of how Hannibal will be depicted on his TV series. "There is a cheery disposition to our Hannibal. He's not being telegraphed as a villain. If the audience didn't know who he was, they wouldn't see him coming."
As for Mikkelsen, he has just snatched Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in "The Hunt". His other credits include starring in "King Arthur", "Casino Royale" and "Clash of the Titans".
