NBC's Hannibal has struggled with low ratings since it began, despite what the critical acclaim and undying fan support might lead you to believe. Fortunately, the series has managed to hang on long enough to reach a third season - beginning this June. The show's creator Bryan Fuller revealed the date for Hannibal's return recently, finally letting Fan-nibals know how much time is left before they get the answers they've been waiting for since the (bloody) season two finale.

Hannibal has always had an eerie and captivating tone that sucked in viewers - and while a lot of that has to do with its writing and acting, the series' directing and visual composition is of a higher caliber than most other shows on television right now. The trailer footage for the upcoming season looks equally strong; now, we know a little more about who's responsible for that.

Bryan Fuller recently took to Twitter to reveal that Vincenzo Natali (Splice, Cube) has directed the first three episodes of Hannibal season three - titled "Antipasto", "Primavera", and "Secondo". Fuller also revealed that the season's opener ("Antipasto") - the third episode on the series helmed by Natali after his work on the season two episodes "Su-zakana" and "Naka-Choko" - will take place over four different periods of time.

Fuller also went on to reveal that Game of Thrones and The Descent helmsman Neil Marshall will be directing the eighth episode of this season, titled "The Great Red Dragon". The episode is said to skip ahead quite a few years in the lives of the main characters - jumping ahead to the arrival of Francis Dollarhyde (Richard Armitage), the main antagonist of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel.

This ought to come as welcome news for fans of the series, as it seems the beginning of Hannibal season three is in good hands from a directorial standpoint. Bringing back Natali - who has already worked on the show - and having a director like Neil Marshall (who has directed the two largest and possibly best episodes of Game of Thrones to date) lend a helping hand, should only benefit the show. That, in turn, will help Fuller and his collaborators to keep a firm grasp on this season (its ambitious time jumps and all).

Season 3 of Hannibal looks to be throwing everything it has at the audience - dramatic revelations (read: who survived the season 2 finale), manhunts around the globe, you name it. Fuller has said the series will combine elements from several of Harris' source novels (with the exception of The Silence of the Lambs), which may add an element of surprise to the experience - even for fans of the Hannibal Lecter literature. We'll find out what Dr. Lecter has up his sleeves soon enough.

Hannibal season three is set to premiere on June 4th at 10/9c on NBC.

Source: Bryan Fuller