At this stage, a Hannibal revival feels more unlikely than ever before, with the six-year anniversary of the show’s cancellation just over two weeks away. There was hope from fans that it could end up being resurrected by Netflix after the stylish psychological thriller dominated the most-watched list following it being added to the platform last summer, a sentiment shared by some of the key creatives involved, but now the cannibalistic cult classic has disappeared from the library altogether.
That’s seemingly extinguished any hopes that season 4 will find itself being brought to life as a Netflix original, but given how staunchly the Fannibals have constantly rallied behind the idea of continuing the series, they’re not going to give up on the dream by any means. Creator Bryan Fuller and star Mads Mikkelsen have always kept the door ever so slightly ajar in regards to a return despite the odds being continually stacked against them, but given recent developments, there’s the slimmest of possibilities that Hannibal could be reborn at another streaming service instead.
The reason why the show didn’t adapt The Silence of the Lambs is the same reason why CBS’ Clarice can’t mention Dr. Lecter by name, with the rights to Thomas Harris’ literary creations scattered all around Hollywood. However, The Silence of the Lambs belonged to MGM, which is now under the control of Amazon, and in many territories around the world, Hannibal is part of the Prime Video lineup.
Amazon have made it clear that they plan to mine their newly acquired properties for all that they’re worth, too, so if a deal can be reached with Hannibal producers The DeLaurentiis Company, then a revival can’t be definitively taken off the table.