There's been no sign of Hannibal season 4 happening for over seven years now, but perhaps continuing the show as a movie could work better. Hannibal's third and so far final season aired in the summer of 2015, cementing the NBC show's legacy of expertly combining brutal violence and gore with bizarrely beautiful and breathtaking imagery. It also upheld Hannibal's trend of critical acclaim -- although, as usual, no Emmy nominations were on offer for the horror series, no matter how beloved by audiences and critics.
In the years since Hannibal season 3 aired, after which NBC quickly canceled the show, creator Bryan Fuller and the cast have repeatedly teased the possibility of a season 4 being made. Even now, demand from many for a fourth season remains high, with Hannibal's streaming success on Netflix standing as proof that interest hasn't really waned. In fact, Hannibal likely has more fans now, thanks to streaming, than it did while airing on NBC to sadly low ratings. While Hannibal season 3's ending was well-done, and mostly satisfying, the appetite exists for a reunion of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham.
Unfortunately, Hannibal season 4 happening has started to feel less and less likely. Outside of some pesky, but presumably surmountable rights entanglements. It's unclear exactly why nothing concrete has ever come of all the teases, but one big factor is likely scheduling. Creator Fuller still works constantly, as do stars Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy. With their full plates, coming to terms on the timing to shoot 13 new episodes for Hannibal season 4 might prove impossible for the foreseeable future. Yet, if Fuller, Mikkelsen, and Dancy do truly want to continue Hannibal and Will's story though, there's a much simpler, less time-intensive solution: make a streaming-only Hannibal movie. It'll require much less time to film and, as a bonus, likely cost a lot less to make than a full season.
While making a feature film is certainly not a commitment to take lightly, if Fuller and company made it the same way they made the Hannibal TV seasons, it should logically take much less time and money from all involved. After all, it's the difference between making two hours of new Hannibal content and thirteen hours. This should theoretically be much easier on everyone's schedule, while also requiring less of a financial commitment from any studio or streaming service to back the project. A Hannibal movie could also serve as a chance to gauge whether making a full Hannibal season 4 is viable.
Speaking of streaming services, the aforementioned Netflix would seem like a perfect home for a Hannibal movie continuation, but Amazon Prime or Hulu could also certainly fill that role if Netflix wasn't interested. Hannibal - both the show and the overall Lecter franchise - are proven commodities that more often than not work more than they don't. Dr. Lecter also has a long history in movies, so his cannibalistic exploits are proven successful in that arena already. As with season 4 though, it would now be up to Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller to get the ball rolling and start making overtures to potential partners about a revival movie, provided he could still secure Mikkelsen and Dancy's participation.