Mads Mikkelsen ‘Game’ For More Hannibal

Last summer, fans were greatly saddened by the announcement that NBC had canceled Hannibal. To call the move shocking, though, would be an exaggeration. Hannibal’s ratings were never very good to begin with, and continued to plummet over each of its three seasons. Plus, network TV never really seemed to be the right fit for Hannibal, which regularly pushed boundaries when it came to graphic violence and disturbing situations, and was perhaps one of the most relentlessly dark series to ever air on one of the big five broadcast stations.

Following the cancellation announcement creator and showrunner Bryan Fuller attempted to shop Hannibal around to other outlets such as Netflix or Amazon Prime. Unfortunately, these talks went nowhere, for various reasons. Fuller has since moved on to working on Starz’s upcoming American Gods and CBS All Access’s upcoming Star Trek: Discovery. As for Hannibal’s stars, they too have also all moved on to new roles, whether they be in TV or film.


Arguably most in demand of Hannibal’s cast members has been its titular star, Mads Mikkelsen. While Mikkelsen has been acting for decades, he didn’t really catch on here in the States until his villainous role as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond. However, if that role opened the door to American stardom for Mikkelsen, he certainly ran through it with his widely lauded performance as the infamous psychiatrist with an appetite for both mind games and human flesh.

Hannibal3 Mads Mikkelsen ‘Game’ For More Hannibal
During a recent interview with ComicBook, Mikkelsen was asked about the possibility of eventually returning to the Hannibal Lecter role, and expressed nothing but positivity concerning the prospect:

“There’s Hannibal in my future if Bryan Fuller is up for it. Then he gives us a call and he’s ready. I think [I’m ready], yeah. I think we all would be; we love that show; we love to be together. I think Bryan is such a clever man, so we’re game.”

As game as Mikkelsen says he is, one does wonder how his scheduling might affect his ability to return to Hannibal. After all, he’s just entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Doctor Strange villain Kaecilius. Assuming his character survives the film, it’s not hard to imagine him getting called back for further Marvel Studios work. Also, he’s about to become a part of the Star Wars franchise as well, playing Galen Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Just as with Marvel, if he lives, one assumes he’d be asked back for more space adventures — though that may be difficult considering Rogue One’s placement in the Star Wars timeline.

If and when a Hannibal reunion season ever does occur, one ingredient that Fuller will definitely be able to count on returning is the series’ incredibly passionate fanbase. Even now, more than a year after the end, fans continue to pine for another glimpse into the mind-bending world of horrific crimes and exquisitely grotesque dishes Fuller and company have created. When one considers that, it would simply be rude not to come back, and it’s well known what Hannibal thinks of the rude.

For now, Hannibal remains dormant. Stay tuned to ScreenRant for any further info.