During a recent interview with ScreenRant, Fuller stated that he believed Zendaya is the right actress to play FBI trainee Clarice Starling. Jodie Foster played the famous character in the film adaptation.
“My dream project is to do a limited series of Silence of the Lambs with Mads [Mikkelsen] and Zendaya as Clarice Starling,” he said. “If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe.”
According to IMDb, Hannibal is based on author Thomas Harris’ books and film adaptations. It explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and a young FBI profiler haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
The show starred Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, and Caroline Dhavernas. It only ran for three seasons before it was canceled.
Fuller has spoken out about the possibility of taking on the Clarice role in the past. However, there have been some setbacks.
“We don’t have rights to [the role],” he said during the 2015 Comic-Con. “We tried – every year we’d go back to MGM. At first, it was a hard ‘No’, then it was ‘Ask us later’ and then it was ‘Ask us again next year’ – it would be fantastic [if they agreed].”
He also previously stated that he would like Elliot Page to play Clarice.
In 2023, Mad Mikkelsen opened up about the possibility of his return to the Hannibal universe.
“There’s always a chance,” he told Deadline. “It’s all about finding a home for it.”
However, Mikkelsen pointed out that it’s all about timing.
“Of course, we’re running out of time,” he pointed out. “We can’t wait 20 years, but in the next couple of years, if somebody finds a home, I think we are all ready to take it up again.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Mikkelsen reflected on his other villain roles.
“Nobody starts out in the morning saying, ‘I’m going to be the baddie,’” he said. “They see themselves as good people in their own world.”