A fourth season for the critically acclaimed series Hannibal seems more likely than ever and could finally fix the franchise's biggest problem. Due to low viewership, Hannibal was canceled after season 3, but fans have remained hopeful for season 4 as showrunner Bryan Fuller still wants to revisit the story, seven years after its conclusion. If the series is revived, it can finally address The Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill controversy.
For years, The Silence of the Lambs has been a part of a larger conversation over problematic transgender representation in the horror genre and in general. The movie is an adaptation of the novel by Thomas Harris who went on to write Hannibal and Hannibal Rising which have also received adaptations. Bryan Fuller has discussed the possibility of incorporating Buffalo Bill into the story of Hannibal if it's revived and the rights are gained. CBS's Clarice attempted to explore Bill's character but got canceled after season 1, leaving The Silence of the Lambs open for new interpretations.
Bryan Fuller always intended to modernize the story of The Silence of the Lambs, but during Hannibal's run, he did not have the rights to the characters of Buffalo Bill and Clarice Starling. At the 2015 Saturn Awards, Fuller told Vulture “I want to tell the Buffalo Bill story in a way that hasn’t been told before.” With the news that Fuller is backing a Hannibal season 4 petition and with Clarice having been canceled, there should be a serious consideration to include Buffalo Bill next season. The Silence of the Lambs remains controversial in its offensive portrayal of a trans-coded villain, an issue that can finally be addressed in a time when trans identities still need better representation. A modern rendition of Buffalo Bill may be less problematic, despite the fact he'll remain a trans-coded antagonist, if his identity is better defined and trans topics aren't contextualized only by cis characters as they are in The Silence of the Lambs. Fuller's intentions of diving deeper into Buffalo Bill's history and identity could continue Hannibal's legacy of being a reformative LGBTQ+ piece in horror and hopefully mend some of the harm that The Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill has caused the trans community.
Bryan Fuller's original plans for Buffalo Bill's presence in Hannibal would have included flashbacks that weave into a modern retelling of The Silence of the Lambs. According to Fuller, these flashbacks would have included Hannibal Lecter in his psychiatrist days, "perhaps even earlier than we met him the first time, when he had Benjamin Raspail as a patient" (via Digital Spy). Exploring Bill's backstory and past with Raspail in depth would make it impossible to skirt around Bill's possible trans identity, a background that needs elaboration due to The Silence of the Lambs' insistence that he isn't trans juxtaposing his obvious trans-coded behaviors and the villainization of those behaviors. With proper context that fleshes out his character, Bill's identity can be explicit rather than continuing to be a characteristic the franchise pretends doesn't exist.
Lee Pace, star of The Hobbit and Pushing Daisies, is a recurring name when Bryan Fuller discusses who he would like to play Buffalo Bill. Pace is an LGBTQ+ actor but not trans. A huge part of trans progression in cinema involves giving trans or trans-coded roles to trans actors, rather than cis actors. Casting a trans actor as Buffalo Bill for Hannibal season 4 would be essential if Fuller truly wants to reshape the negative impact caused by The Silence of the Lambs. It would also be beneficial to cast trans actors as protagonist characters in order to include positive representation in a property that has historically played a part in trans communities being vilified.
The outlook for a Hannibal season 4 is good due to the ever-growing support from viewers and Bryan Fuller's dedication to finding the series a platform for renewal. The Silence of the Lambs is a property he's still excited to get the rights for so he can explore it in Hannibal, which means there's a chance Buffalo Bill's controversy can be rectified once and for all. For now, it's a matter of whether or not the appraised Hannibal will be picked up.