The first episode of ‘Hannibal’ premieres here in Norway in just a moment. I’m tremendously excited! The series is a sort of prequel to ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991), showing the life of serial killer Hannibal Lecter before his dark deeds were revealed to the world.
Bringing horror classics to the TV screen seems to be the thing this year. Another show has just aired which does the same thing: in ‘Bates Motel’ they introduce us to an adolescent Norman Bates (played by a near-adult and impressive Freddie Highmore) living with his mother (portrayed by Vera Farmiga) in a healthier – or should I say marginally less bleak – manner than we know he ends up doing in the legendary ‘Psycho’ (1960).
Taking on some of the biggest and most memorable horror movies of all time is a risky move, but with the increase in interesting projects and ever more impressive cast lists in recent TV productions, as admirably demonstrated with the recent Netflix success ‘House of Cards’ starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, I’m optimistic. With Mads Mikkelsen in the title role as notorious Dr Hannibal Lecter, how wrong can things possibly go? With him are actors Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne, as respectively serial killer expert agent Will Graham and agent Jack Crawford (the latter name should ring a bell if you’ve seen the movie).
Bring out the Chianti and let the fun begin!
