One of the best written and best acted dramas currently on network (or any) television is Hannibal, from show creator Bryan Fuller.  Based on the characters from Thomas Harris’ classic novels, the series follows the unsettling relationship between psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and gifted criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer/writer Bryan Fuller talked about how the series came about, how he gauges the level of violence on the show, how he ended up with Dancy, Mikkelsen and Laurence Fishburne as his lead actors, how fascinating the character relationships are, that knowing the eventual destination of these characters is a huge gift, when Hannibal Lecter’s famous face mask could appear, how the Red Dragon story would come into play in Season 4, adding some female characters to the mix, how they decide what meals Dr. Lecter will prepare and serve, future romantic relationships for the serial killer, and what Gillian Anderson brings to the show.  He also talked about the possibility of a Kickstarter campaign for a Pushing Daisies movie.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Another great episode of the ever-stylish Hannibal, though with a very sudden ending.  To be continued?  There were also several shadows of Silence of the Lambs that appeared as well: the focus on an agent-in-training, Miriam (played by Veep‘s Anna Chlumsky), as well as the advent of the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane’s (which everyone, including Will, always likes to say in full) Dr. Chilton, and the idea of classical conditioning.  The “Chesapeake Ripper” is also referred to as a “pure” psychopath (or sociopath), “which is so rare to find in captivity,” Chilton comments smugly.  But Will has doubts that the incarcerated Dr. Gideon (Eddie Izzard) is the true killer.  “I can see him, but I can’t feel him,” Will says after his time at the (gruesome) crime scene.  Hit the jump for why “there’s no accounting for taste … or intelligence.”

Last week it was announced that NBC would be pulling its new crime drama Hannibal‘s upcoming fourth episode “œuf” in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy.  The episode’s Case of the Week was about children killing other children — something that had series creator Bryan Fuller asking to have it pulled completely while the series was still in production, after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.  The hesitation about the episode was already clear, as it didn’t appear in press packs for the series (the episode order of the press screeners went 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).

While the idea to cut the episode has been universally supported, Fuller wanted to make sure that fans were able to keep up with the character building in the episode that was separate from the crime, especially after last week’s surprising ending.  So NBC “cannibalized” the episode into webisodes for viewers, and put them online.  Hit the jump for the clips.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve so emphatically recommended a network drama.  Hannibal, a mere three episodes in, is already heads and shoulders above, say, The Following, not just because of its writing and acting, but its style.  Few people can put a visual stamp on things like Bryan Fuller, and while Hannibal and Will inhabit their own distinct spaces and looks, it’s the loathsome Freddie Lounds who really embodies that slightly cartoony / candy-colored world that Fuller built in Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies.  In Hannibal it’s more muted, but the time-lapsed establishing shots and vivid staging (the chat in the hospital’s greenhouse, or in the bright fall leaves behind the Hobbs’ house) still keep things from looking like a rote procedural.  So does the advent of Abigail Hobbs.  Hit the jump for why you should never threaten someone who thinks about murder all day (like kittens).

A fellow TV critic said of Hannibal, “NBC doesn’t know what it has with this show.”  He’s absolutely right.  Though it has some of the trappings of a procedural (a case of the week, a familiar make up of quirky forensic detectives, a kind of “you can’t handle the truth!” refrain), Hannibal is elevated by three things.  It’s incredibly stylish (but not cartoonishly so, as CSI: Miami could be), it has two great leads (Mads Mikkelson and Hugh Dancy), and it has a built-in anticipation with the development of Hannibal’s character, because we know where he and Will end up, something that adds a lot of tension to the onscreen proceedings, even when they’re not overt (like that little dinner Hannibal served Jack).  NBC, don’t mess this up.  Hit the jump for more on why you should always inquire about where the loin came from. 

The voice cast for DreamWorks Animation’s sequel Kung Fu Panda 3 is starting to fill out quite nicely.  Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, and other unspecified actors are reprising their roles from the first two animated films, but Heat Vision reports that Bryan Cranston, Mads Mikkelsen, and Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) have also been set as new additions to the film.  Kung Fu Panda 2 director Jennifer Yuh Nelson returns to helm the follow-up, which also sees the return of executive producer Guillermo del Toro, producer Melissa Cobb, co-producer Jeffrey Hermann, and writers/co-producers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.

Story details are firmly under wraps, but the ending of Kung Fu Panda 2 provides a strong hint that the third film will involve Black’s Po meeting his real father.  Del Toro previously told us that Kung Fu Panda 3 has “the most formidable villain in the series,” and either Cranston or Mikkelsen would certainly fit that bill.  Additionally, Kung Fu Panda 3 will now open on December 23, 2015 instead of March 2016.

Hannibal, featuring the latest and possibly one of the better incarnations of the infamous cannibalistic serial killer, is also the latest in some very gruesome TV.  But at the hands of Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), who wrote the first episode and David Slade (Awake) who directed it, it becomes haunting and dreamlike, and not the schlocky bloodbath of, say, Fox’s The Following.  In its first episode, Hannibal sets up all of the major familiar players of the Hannibal Lecter series, but like A&E’s Bates Motel, even though we know where things will end up, the journey getting there seems worth following.  Hit the jump for more on the series’ inaugural episode, as well as a really tasty recipe for cooked lung.  If you missed the pilot, watch it online right here.

The new drama series Hannibal premiered last night on NBC, but in case you missed the debut of one of the most promising new dramas from the network in God-knows-when, the entire episode has now been made available online.  From Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, the show is an adaptation of the Thomas Harris series of novels featuring the Hannibal Lecter character, as we follow the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.

The pilot—which is brilliantly directed by 30 Days of Night helmer David Slade—is excellent, and I was incredibly pleased to see a series that’s confident enough to use silence and mood to create an atmosphere rather than flashy editing and fast-moving cameras to “keep your attention.”  The performances by Dancy, Mikkelsen, and Laurence Fishbourne are fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season plays out.  Hit the jump to watch the pilot, click here to read our review of the show’s first two episodes, and click here for Allison’s pilot recap.

Hannibal Lecter has undergone many a different iteration – from the coolly cerebral Brian Cox to the scarily menacing Anthony Hopkins to the more toothless anti-hero Hopkins played up in the sequels to whatever-the-hell Hannibal Rising was supposed to be.  It’s a character that has unfortunately become watered down with each new version presented. It’s remarkable now that a network television channel would base an entire series around a cannibal serial killer – but it speaks to just how defanged the character has become. However the new Hannibal as presented in Bryan Fuller’s upcoming show (based on the first two episodes previewed) presents dare-I-say-it the most unsettling characterization of Hannibal yet. Gone are any of the affectations of an Anthony Hopkins, instead replaced by pure detached malevolence. For the full review, hit the jump.

NBC has released a new extended preview for creator/executive producer Bryan Fuller’s (Pushing Daisies) highly anticipated upcoming series Hannibal.  This one’s more stylish than the international trailer we saw a few weeks ago, and delves quite a bit deeper into the plot.  The show is an adaptation of the Thomas Harris series of novels featuring the Hannibal Lecter character, as we follow the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.  Though I’m really looking forward to the show, I’m a bit surprised by just how much violence is acceptable for network TV nowadays.  I remember when ER was considered graphic, but between Hannibal and Fox’s The Following (not to mention cable’s The Walking Dead), it feels like the networks are just a couple of years away from full-on Hostel-level gore.

Hit the jump to watch the intriguing extended preview.  Hannibal also stars Laurence Fishbourne and premieres on NBC on April 4th at 10pm.

A full-length international trailer for NBC’s upcoming series Hannibal has been released online, and it’s pretty great.  The show comes from Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller and explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.  This trailer does a great job of setting up the plot for the series, and I’m interested to see how heavy the show’s procedural aspect is.  If nothing else, the character interactions look to be incredibly entertaining.

Fuller has long-term plans for the show—which is based on Thomas Harris’ series of novels—as he initially pitched a seven-season arc to NBC that includes dynamic changes throughout the series run (ie. Lecter will be outed as a serial killer long before the show ends).  Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Hannibal also stars Laurence Fishbourne and premieres on NBC on April 4th at 10pm.

The first teaser trailer for Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal is now available.  The new NBC series centers on the titular serial killer (Mads Mikkelsen) and FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) who relies on Dr. Lecter’s singular expertise to help him solve his cases.  The show “explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.”  Also starring Laurence Fishburne and Caroline Dhavernas, Hannibal premieres on Thursday, April 4th at 10pm.  Hit the jump to watch the first teaser trailer.

John Le Carre novels have always been ripe for Hollywood adaptation.  Anton Corbijn (The American) is working on an adaptation of A Most Wanted Man, and a couple years ago we got Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which sadly was a bit of a disappointment.  Hopefully, director Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders) will have more success with his adaptation of Le Carre’s Our Kind of Traitor.  The adaptation is moving in the right direction with Ralph Fiennes and Mads Mikkelsen signing on to co-star.

Per Screen daily, “Ewan McGregor will star in the international spy thriller as one half of a couple who gets mixed up with a Russian oligarch and major money launderer (Mikkelsen). Caught up in his plans to defect, they are soon positioned between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service.”  Fiennes will play U.K. government fixer Hector Meredith.  Jessica Chastain was rumored for the female lead back in November, but it looks like she has passed, and casting for the role is still underway.  Filming is set to begin this summer.  Hit the jump for an update on the adaptation of Le Carre’s Smiley’s People, and click here for Steve’s interview with producer Eric Fellner.

Some (un)casting news today.  Check out the highlights below:

• Chris Hemsworth (Thor) is reportedly out of American Assassin, the CBS Films’ adaptation of the Vince Flynn novel.  A source cited scheduling conflicts.
• Ty Burrell (Modern Family) will join Adventureland duo Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins as Hader’s lover.
• Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) is in consideration for Our Kind of Traitor, an adaptation of the John le Carre novel. Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and Jessica Chastain (Lawless) are also rumored.

Hit the jump for more on each project. 

New photos have been released from NBC’s Hannibal series that we first got wind of last spring, when Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) discussed the upcoming show starring Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, and “the sexiest man in Denmark”) as a young Dr. Hannibal Lecter (or at least, pre-killer Lecter).  Even more exciting is that the network isn’t making the series go for a typical 22 or 23-episode broadcast season, but a much tighter thirteen (mirroring cable dramas).

The series also stars Hugh Dancy (Martha Marcy May Marlene) as Lecter’s FBI partner, Lawrence Fishburne as their boss, and Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall) as part of their unit.  The series was originally slated to potentially be part of NBC’s fall lineup, but now looks more like to appear in spring of 2013. Hit the jump for more on the series and the pics.