Silence of the Lambs Sequel Series Cast Originals Star as Clarice Starling

CBS announced earlier this year that it was developing the TV series Clarice, which is set to serve as a sequel to the events of Silence of the Lambs, with The Originals star Rebecca Breeds set to star as Clarice Starling in the series’ pilot. While the series is written and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, the rest of the cast has not yet been revealed. Jodie Foster earned an Oscar for playing the role in the 1991 film, while Julianne Moore took on the part for 2001’s Hannibal. That sequel took place 10 years after the events of the original story, with this new series taking place in between those two narratives.

Deadline describes the series, “Clarice is set in 1993, a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs. The series is a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling (Breeds), as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C. Brilliant and vulnerable, Clarice (Breeds) graduated Magna from UVA with a double major in Psych and Criminology. Her bravery gives her an inner light that draws monsters and madmen to her. Her complex psychological makeup comes from a challenging childhood, and her drive comes from her need to escape the burden of family secrets that have haunted her throughout her life.”

While Clarice might be intrinsically linked with Hannibal Lecter, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon and by Brian Cox in Manhunter, the character isn’t expected to appear in the show.

In 2013, NBC delivered the TV series Hannibal with Mads Mikkelsen playing the character, which earned a passionate following but failed to impress with its viewership numbers. Despite the series being cancelled after the third season, fans continue to hope for a possible Season Four, with creator Bryan Fuller regularly professing his love for the story and that he hopes to somehow continue the series.

“No one has given up! I’ve made it clear I want to do it, the cast wants to do it and [producer] Martha [De Laurentiis] wants to do it,” Fuller shared on Twitter last year. “We just need a network or a streaming service that wants to do it, too. I don’t feel there’s a clock on it or an expiration date for the idea. We just need someone to bite.”

Stay tuned for details on Clarice.

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