Hannibal Star Has Disappointing News About a Possible Season 4

Whenever discussions emerge about TV series that were cancelled too early and deserve a revival, Bryan Fuller's Hannibal is often a go-to example of a series that audiences hope could be revived, but star Hugh Dancy has bad news for those holding out hope. The actor pointed out how, regardless of how much interest there might be from fans, it can be a costly endeavor to bring any series to life, and while there was a point where streaming networks were reviving a variety of cancelled projects, recent trends have shown that streamers are tightening their budgets in that realm.

"[W]e keep saying, when we get asked, 'Oh, we'd love to do it,' which is true. Maybe it'll take one of us to say, 'I will absolutely never do a fourth season of Hannibal,' but that would be a lie," Dancy explained to Collider. "I'm not exactly surprised because essentially, first and foremost, somebody has to write a fairly sizable check. I'm not talking about me being paid. I'm talking about the cost of making a season of television. For a while, it seemed like the streamers were gonna be everybody's savior, in that respect, but now there's been a cutoff there. There are shows that are watched by millions of people that don't make it past a second season. So, I have no idea what that calculation is."

The series debuted in 2013 and ran for three seasons, ultimately concluding in 2015. With the final episode showing Dancy's Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal Lecter toppling off a cliff, some audiences could see that ending as a cliffhanger, while others could see it as serving as a conclusion.

In the years since the series ended, hopes for a Season 4 have gone through ups and downs. Whenever the series returns to a streaming service after an extended break, social media conversation results in hopes for a revival growing, though the hectic schedules of the talent involved in the series make it more challenging to attempt to coordinate.

The most promising component of a reunion happening is that Fuller and the cast and crew are all still interested in such an opportunity, with Fuller having plans in store for how to handle any passage of time.

"I am very hopeful," Fuller revealed during a Nerdist reunion of the cast and crew when discussing a fourth season back in 2020. "The great thing about the idea that if we are going to be meeting [back up with Hannibal and Will] and it takes five, six, seven years or what have you, that's just how long they've been on the lam. Then the story picks up from that point. And we'll adapt."  

Stay tuned for details on a possible Season 4 of Hannibal.

Would you like to see a Season 4 of the series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!