Hannibal Lecter (franchise)

The Hannibal Lecter franchise is an American media franchise that features the titular character and main antagonist, Hannibal Lecter, who originally appeared in a series of novels (starting with Red Dragon in 1981) by Thomas Harris. The series has since expanded into film and television.

Novels

• Red Dragon (1981)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
• Hannibal (1999)
• Hannibal Rising (2006)

Films and television

• Manhunter (1986)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• Hannibal (2001)
• Red Dragon (2002)
• Hannibal Rising (2007)
• Hannibal (TV series) (2013–15)

The first adaptation was the 1986 film Manhunter, which was an adaptation of Red Dragon, directed by Michael Mann.

The next adaptation was 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, which was directed by Jonathan Demme and was the first film to feature Anthony Hopkins in the role of Hannibal Lecter. Silence was a success, both critically and financially, and went on to become the third film in Academy Awards history to win in all top five categories (Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Actress for Jodie Foster, Best Director for Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally, and Best Picture). Hopkins reprised the role in the next two films, 2001's Hannibal, a sequel directed by Ridley Scott, and 2002's Red Dragon, a prequel directed by Brett Ratner. In 2002, Hopkins revealed that he had written a screenplay for another sequel, ending with Clarice killing Lecter; it was not produced.^[1]

In 2007, Hannibal Rising was released. The film is a prequel, directed by Peter Webber and starring Gaspard Ulliel as Lecter.

In 2013, the TV series Hannibal premiered. Developed by Bryan Fuller, it is not a direct adaptation, but based on characters and elements from the novels. Some male characters have become female, such as Freddy Lounds, who is renamed Fredricka "Freddie" Lounds. The series has garnered much critical acclaim since its premiere, winning the 2014 and 2015 Saturn Award for Best Network Television Series, as well as the inaugural Best Action-Thriller Television Series in 2016.

Cast and characters

Critical reaction

Musical

In 2005, comedian-musicians Jon and Al Kaplan, most famous for their musical re-imaginings of popular films as YouTube musicals, parodied The Silence of the Lambs, especially the film version, in Silence! The Musical. It premiered Off-Off-Broadway and has since had acclaimed productions in London (2009) and Los Angeles (2012). In 2012, it won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle – Score, Lead Performance, Choreography Award.^[13]

References