NBC’s Hannibal was cancelled years ago, but in spite of that, it remains a constant topic of debate when it comes to iconic television shows. Just like other acclaimed series, the inner workings of the show have several influences and in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, creator Bryan Fuller has just told us about another one.
One literary influence is Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon novel, which focuses on the tumultuous relationship between Mads Mikkelsen’s Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham. In the aforementioned interview, Bryan Fuller revealed that James Cameron’s massive sci-fi hit Avatar also had a strong effect on the popular series.
I thought, ‘Oh, that’s such an elegant piece of humanity that James Cameron has woven into this alien culture. I actually thought about Avatar quite a bit when Hannibal and Will would say to each other that they see each other and they have shown each other things about themselves that no one else can see. Thus, Hannibal telling Will, “I let you know me — see me” is “the greatest declaration of love that Hannibal could make.
Fuller’s comments are referencing the “I see you” line in Avatar – which the Na’vi use to greet each other as a reflection of common understanding, he compares this to Will and Hannibal. In the same interview, he further touched upon the complicated connection between Lecter and Graham, insisting that a kiss between the two characters would have added more authenticity to their twisted nature.
Seeing as Avatar 2 is scheduled for a much-anticipated release in Dec. 2022, then who’s to say that the complicated duo leading Hannibal won’t once again grace our television screens in the near future.