Clarice, the highly anticipated sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, won’t mention the iconic character of Hannibal Lecter at all. Based on Thomas Harris’ novel of the same name, Jonathan Demme’s 1991 film starred Jodie Foster as FBI agent Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as the notorious serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Clarice enlists Hannibal’s help with tracking the murderer Buffalo Bill as she also navigates the dangerous mind games of Hannibal. Though their dynamic is central to the film, the new series from CBS will take the narrative in another direction.
The series reportedly picks up a year after the events of the film and follows Clarice as she returns to the field, tracking down other murderers and navigating the real-world tragedies of 1993: the Waco siege, the first bombing of the World Trade Center, and the aftermath of Ruby Ridge. The show won’t introduce a traditional serial killer narrative, and will instead focus more on Clarice’s personal story and her investigations of other major crimes. The pilot was ordered straight to series by CBS in early 2020.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Clarice won’t mention Hannibal Lecter because of the legal rights of the character. MGM and the Dino De Laurentiis Company share the rights to Harris’ characters, so the show will have a selection of familiar names, but no Hannibal. Though it may seem difficult to avoid such a central character, executive producer Alex Kurtzman commented on why it has been refreshing to redirect the narrative. Kurtzman said, “It’s been quite liberating because we have no interest in writing about Hannibal - not because we didn’t love the films and the show, but because it was done so well by so many people that it didn’t feel fresh for us.” The experiences that Clarice shared with Hannibal still happened within the world of the series, but Hannibal is “legally speaking, He Who Shall Not Be Named.”
The character of Clarice was similarly left out of NBC’s Hannibal, for reasons also related to the rights of the characters being divided. Though the show will depart from the film version in many ways, it will continue to explore similar themes such as Clarice’s position as a woman in the law enforcement world that is largely run by men. In addition to critiquing the “male gaze,” the show will also tackle issues of racism and the “white gaze” through Starling’s FBI colleague Ardelia Mapp. The show is set to premiere on February 11th at 10pm and it already has a teaser trailer.
Though the choice to exclude the character of Hannibal from Clarice was largely based on legal rights, the omission provides CBS with an excellent opportunity to develop Clarice more deeply. The film was considered groundbreaking in its criticism of sexism and misogyny, as well as its portrayal of Clarice as a timeless hero, so it will be interesting to see if the show can carry on that legacy.
Source: Entertainment Weekly