#SDCC 2013: A Few Tasty Morsels of What’s Ahead in Hannibal Season 2; Watch the Entire Panel
Steve Barton
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Horror fans love to discuss, debate, and disagree; however, one thing we all seem to be in agreement on is that we can’t get enough of NBC’s “Hannibal”! Here are a few tidbits of what’s ahead in Season 2.
Yesterday we took part in roundtable interviews with series star Hugh Dancy (Will Graham), creator/showrunner Bryan Fuller, director/exec producer David Slade, and exec producer Martha De Laurentiis at San Diego Comic-Con. They couldn’t divulge a lot of details, but we did learn enough to whet our appetites even more for the continuing adventures of Dr. Lecter and Will.
Slade kicked things off by discussing the look and tone of the show, which he attributes to Fuller being such a visual writer. Bryan gives them all the pieces to create a mini-horror movie each week; his and the other directors’ job is to ground it in reality. All the episodes are shot in a specific way so that while everyone talks about how surprised they are such a “gory” show is allowed on network TV, audience members really just think they are seeing much more than they actually do. Things are suggested or blurred or shot a bit out of frame to get past the censors but still keep the horror crowd happy and engaged.
Filming kicks off September 10th, and Slade will direct the first two episodes, the Season 2 finale, and possibly more depending on his schedule.
Dancy was up next, and he said we have a fair distance to go before we get to see Hannibal behind bars. Will still has to go through a trial and convince others of his belief that Hannibal is the killer. All of his relationships are fractured, especially with Jack, who is now moving much closer to Hannibal. He’s even separated from his dogs!
De Laurentiis touched upon the trial aspect during Season 2 and said we don’t need to worry about it becoming more of a procedural type show. Things will wrap up fairly quickly in that regard. We’ll learn more stories from Hannibal’s past, including his relationship with Gillian Anderson’s Bedelia Du Maurier. Nothing in the show is filler; themes that were introduced in Season 1 will come back later. There are a few loose ends: We still haven’t seen Abigail’s body, nor do we know exactly where Eddie Izzard’s Dr. Gideon is. And let’s not forget about Miriam Lass. And what about tabloid blogger Freddie Lounds? She’s complicit in Hannibal’s shenanigans, but as a friend who truly cared about Abigail, she want to find out what really happened so she’ll keep digging around.
Fuller provided us with the most “meat” in our discussions. Season 2 has been fully arced out with up to Episode 3 completely written and Episode 4 being broken now. As for when “Hannibal” will return, NBC is still deciding if it will be in the spring (like Season 1) or possibly held until summer, which seems to be all the rage right now.
Since Will has no proof of Hannibal’s guilt, the good doctor is feeling safe for now, but he still has to be savvy and stay one step ahead of Will. If Season 1 was all about their bromance, Season 2 is their nasty breakup. Will comes out swinging, and there will be a different dynamic. While he has limited resources, we will see Will’s relationship with Dr. Alana Bloom evolve.
What about guest stars? They’d love for Lance Henriksen to come back. We’ve heard rumors of David Bowie playing Hannibal’s uncle, and they’re still hoping that will come together. If not, Fuller will “park” the character for a while until Bowie is available. And Gillian is in talks to return – they’re just working on the dates. He said they have a great storyline for her. She’s a good foe for Hannibal and will not fall prey to his traps. How much does she know? How much is she figuring out? That is the stuff Fuller’s most excited about. Despite of them being very cold characters, there’s a very sexy heat between them. When asked if possibly Will might share some moments with Dr. Du Maurier, he said he would love to get those characters in a scene together.
Speaking of sex, when asked about Hannibal continuing to pursue Alana, Fuller said he definitely wants “more sexy” in Season 2. So “stay tuned for who is going to be doing who!”
As for whether Hannibal is a sociopath, a psychopath, or what, Fuller feels Hannibal is unique and uncategorizable – a “total work of fiction.” Hannibal works in a way that he is protecting the beauty of the world. He sees himself as an elitist and “better than,” but he is also capable of caring. His caring for Will is genuine, and part of his radically unorthodox therapy of Will is to get him to accept all parts of himself. Hannibal is curious more than anything else. He is curious about the human condition, how he feels, how other people feel.
With Will in prison and Hannibal on the outside, the roles we’re used to seeing them in have been switched where characters will be approaching Will in the institution and seeking advice on cases. He is kind of taking Hannibal’s place. Fuller called the scenario “inversions that will be really fun to explore.”
Fuller wrapped things up with some remarks about how, after working on this show, he looks at food so much differently now. Yeah, Bryan, so do we! Thanks for messing with our heads; we can’t wait to see what sick and twisted, yet tasty, treats await us next year!
For more info visit “Hannibal” on NBC.com, “like” “Hannibal” on Facebook, and follow “Hannibal” on Twitter.
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