Nearly two weeks ago, NBC cancelled Hannibal. And while the Hannibal cast and creative team were optimistic about the show finding a new home, that seems much less likely now.
Deadline is reporting that the cast of Hannibal has been released from their contracts, as Gaumont International Television declined to extend their options. Effective immediately, Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen are free to sign with any TV or film offers that they get. Laurence Fishburne has already been signed to star in a remake of Roots for A&E.
This is a very bad sign for the series’ prospects. While both Dancy and Mikkelsen have expressed a desire to continue doing Hannibal, new deals would have to be reached with both actors if Gaumont does find a home for the series. But Gaumont would never have released them if a deal was close to renew the series. If anything, this seems to signal Gaumont’s surrender to Hannibal’s demise.
Related: NBC Cancels Hannibal After Three Seasons
There are two other complicating factors: Amazon has the exclusive streaming rights to Hannibal Season 1 through 3, which makes the series less attractive to other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Yahoo Screen to produce a new season. Executive Producer and Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller is also contracted to American Gods on STARZ, which means that Hannibal would need a new showrunner if it finds new life on another network or streaming service.
It’s not impossible for the series to return, but it looks less and less likely that Hannibal will survive beyond the current third season.
Fannibals: which network should give Hannibal another chance? Would you prefer to see the Hannibal cast in new films? That’s a pipe dream…but what a dream! Share your thoughts below!
