Successful movies that seize the zeitgeist and instantly embed themselves in popular culture are almost always guaranteed to launch a franchise, but even then, not many people could have predicted that 2001’s sequel Hannibal would serve as the launchpad for an entire shared universe based on the iconic cannibal.
Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs is a certifiable classic that became just the third film in history to complete the “Big Five” sweep at the Academy Awards by winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay, but it took the second installment a decade to see the light of day.
During that period, Demme and Jodie Foster dropped out to be replaced by Ridley Scott and Julianne Moore, and while Hannibal was a monster-sized hit at the box office, reviews were alarmingly tepid compared to its illustrious successor. Undeterred, MGM went nuts on expanding the property, to the extent that it’s insane to think what we ended up with.
Hopkins returned for prequel Red Dragon, but then we got another prequel in Hannibal Rising, which eventually gave way to Bryan Fuller’s beloved three-season favorite starring Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy, before procedural thriller Clarice got canned after one season, a fate everyone saw coming when it was severely restricted by the rights to which characters it could actually use.
More than 20 years on from first feasting on the flesh of viewers everywhere, Hannibal has circled back around to become an on-demand sensation all over again. Per FlixPatrol, the undercooked sophomore outing is one of the top-viewed titles on the Rakuten ranks, ensuring the IP remains as recognizable as ever.