Hannibal Lecter Coming Home Via NBC

By Uncle Creepy
November 7th, 2011

Man, television has been kicking ass lately in terms of genre fare. Hell, some TV shows are now darker and more violent than most R-rated movies, further proving that the MPAA really isn't needed. The next villain to grace the small screen will be none other than Hannibal the Cannibal himself! Pour yourself a fine Chianti and read on!

Deadline reports that Gaumont International Television has set up the hour-long drama "Hannibal" at NBC. Written and executive produced by Bryan Fuller and executive produced by Martha De Laurentiis, the project, based on the iconic literary and film character Hannibal Lecter, was bought by NBC preemptively. It marks a reunion between the network and GIT CEO Katie O’Connell, who previously served as NBC head of drama.

Fuller is developing a script against a 13-episode commitment, meaning that the project won’t go through a pilot stage but straight to series if NBC brass like the script. The network has a short window after receiving Fuller’s script to pick it up. In a model similar to that for NBC’s midseason drama series "The Firm", GIT, the U.S. arm of French film studio Gaumont, will fund the potential series by a mix of a U.S network license fee and international sales. The project was taken to MIPCOM last month, and a number of international deals are already in the works.

More as it comes.