‘Silence of the Lambs’ sequel series ‘Clarice’ planned
Clariiiiiiiiiiiice is back. The heroine of “The Silence of the Lambs” is getting her own series, CBS announced Sunday.
Set in 1993, a year after the original Hannibal Lecter story, “‘Clarice' is a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.,” the network said in a press release.
The role of the young FBI agent originated in Thomas Harris' 1988 novel and was brought to life by Jodie Foster in the 1991 movie of the same name.
Foster won the Oscar for best actress the following year, beating Geena Davis (“Thelma & Louise”), Laura Dern (“Rambling Rose”), Bette Midler (“For the Boys”) and Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise”), and the movie took home four other awards: best picture, best actor, best director and best screenplay based on material previously produced or published.
Julianne Moore took over the role in 2001's “Hannibal,” directed by Ridley Scott, after Foster declined to come back.
Bryan Fuller, who oversaw the NBC series “Hannibal,” starring Mads Mikkelsen as the doctor and Hugh Dancy as FBI special investigator Will Graham, repeatedly said he had plans to bring Clarice into his story if the show had run long enough; it was cancelled in 2015 after three seasons.
Alex Kurtzman, who helms CBS All Access' “Star Trek: Discovery” and the upcoming “Star Trek: Picard,” and Jenny Lumet, author of “Rachel Getting Married,” will serve as co-writers and executive producers on the show, which has been given a series commitment.
“After more than 20 years of silence, we're privileged to give voice to one of America's most enduring heroes — Clarice Starling,” Kurtzman and Lumet said in a joint statement. “Clarice's bravery and complexity have always lit the way, even as her personal story remained in the dark. But hers is the very story we need today: her struggle, her resilience, her victory. Her time is now, and always.”