Bryan Fuller's Hannibal remains one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in contemporary television, but unfortunately, it also fell into the category of beloved shows that never accrued a big enough audience. Instead, the series came to an end with season 3 last year, apparently concluding the relationship between Will (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) on a literal cliffhanger.

Ever since the series' conclusion, however, there has been talk of a possible Hannibal revival or return sometime in the near future, with everyone involved showing a legitimate passion and excitement towards the idea. As for how exactly the series could come back, that's never been made especially clear, though Bryan Fuller seems to have a fairly general idea worth discussing.

While speaking on the latest episode of Blumhouse's Shock Waves Podcast (via ScreenCrush), Fuller commented on a possible Hannibal return, saying he wouldn't want it to be a movie, like some have suggested, but rather as an occasional 6-8 episode long miniseries event. One that could possibly explore aspects of the Silence of the Lambs story, the rights of which will reportedly be available next year, but not seek to recreate it. Fuller spoke about that story and how the format of Hannibal might change:

"I think the film adaptation is a perfect film, but there’s a lot of interesting nooks and crannies to explore in a television series. I hope we get to tell the story … I think, ideally for the cast, it would be as a mini-series, here and there. Let’s do 6 to 8 episodes of that, and 6 to 8 episodes over here. And do it as an irregular thing."

Hannibal - Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter embrace

Fuller isn't alone in his belief that the revival should be done as a series rather than a film, with Mads Mikkelsen echoing a similar opinion previously. Hugh Dancy has also confirmed that any continuation would likely bring an end to the story between Will and Hannibal. It's pretty clear, then, that neither Will nor Hannibal died in that final fall, and it seems like Fuller and co. know what story they would tell with season 4, so now it's just a matter of actually bringing the series back.

A few years ago, this might have seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream, but with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu making a name for themselves by cashing in on fan desires to see of canceled-too-soon TV shows return, it isn't necessarily that distant of a possibility. Even just recently, Netflix brought back Gilmore Girls with a 4-part revival to stunning results for the company, and while Hannibal doesn't have quite as large a following as that series, its fan base is no less passionate. At this point, it just seems like a matter of waiting to see if it'll actually happen or not.

Screen Rant will have more details on the future of Hannibal as news is made available.

Source: Blumhouse (via ScreenCrush)