SPOILER ALERT: this contains discussion of Hannibal, season two. Do not read if you have not seen the entire season.
Following its renewal just prior to the epic finale of season two, the cast and crew of Hannibal held court at Comic-Con on Thursday. The panel, hosted by Jonathan Ross, was informal, and spilled a surprising amount of beans on season three. While Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne were not in attendance (Mikkelsen and Dancy sent video messages), showrunner Bryan Fuller was joined by a panel including Caroline Dhavernas, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams and Raúl Esparza, and wasn't coy in dropping some fairly major hints about where the show is going. Here's what he revealed.
The new direction
Season three will begin around a year after the claret-drenched ending to season two. The first episode will show Hannibal and Dr Du Maurier living a new life in Italy. Fuller said this will feel "very much like a pilot for a new series starring Gillian Anderson and Mads Mikkelsen". Early episodes will move away from the procedural nature of the first two seasons and be "all about the pursuit of Hannibal, and we kind of abandon that structure for something close to the books". We'll have to wait until episode four to find out what the pair got up to in their year on the run.
New characters from the source novels
"We're introducing a lot more characters from the novels, some that haven't been in the series yet," said Fuller. So expect to see Chief Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi, the Red Dragon Francis Dollarhyde, Mason Verger's physician Cordell and Lady Murasaki, who will "kick all sorts of ass".
Bringing back the dead
Fuller, introducing Esparza (who plays Dr Chilton), said: "There's somebody else who shouldn't be here, because they were shot in the face." Yes, the smarmy schmuck Chilton will be a "huge part" of season three. Esparza is excited. "I told Bryan in my next season I expect to have an eye patch, hump and parrot." Apparently he loves playing Chilton "because he's such a douchebag". Eddie Izzard's Gideon and Kacey Rohl's Abigail Hobbs are also set to return, albeit in flashback form. "Doesn't anyone die in Hannibal?" quipped Ross.
Season four
As it stands, there will be no Clarice Starling or Barney Matthews in the foreseeable future, due to MGM still holding the rights to The Silence of the Lambs. Fuller and producer Martha DeLaurentiis are desperately trying to negotiate with MGM to "finish the story" and bring the events of the book to the screen. "We're going to do a full-court press to get those rights," assured Fuller.
Something that will never happen but would be brilliant
Fuller suggested that he'd "love to do a surreal musical in Hannibal's mind palace. I would love to see Mads Mikkelsen dance like Christopher Walken in Weapon of Choice." Anyone for a Kickstarter to ensure this happens?
