Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen revealed he'd like to see actor Michael Pitt step into the role of Buffalo Bill if creator Bryan Fuller chooses to move forward in developing a fourth season or a miniseries.
"We would love to find someone to play Buffalo Bill. That’s going to be tough. We found a Hannibal, so it’s possible," Mikkelsen recently told IndieWire. "We already used Michael Pitt for Mason and that was fantastic. If he wasn't playing Mason I'd love to see him as Buffalo Bill."
Best known for his roles on Boardwalk Empire and Funny Games, Pitt first appeared on Hannibal in Season 2 as Mason Verger, the abusive twin brother of Hannibal's patient Margot Verger. While Pitt had great chemistry with Mikkelsen's Dr. Hannibal Lecter, he left the role after one season and was replaced by Joe Anderson in Season 3.
Mikkelsen's casting suggestion came in the wake of MGM passing on the opportunity to give Hannibal the rights to Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lamb book earlier this year. While showrunner Bryan Fuller planned to incorporate Silence's FBI agent Clarice Starling in Season 4, MGM opted instead to team up with CBS for a new prequel series centered on Clarice.
"[We] tried many times to work with MGM to include Clarice into our Hannibal story," Fuller tweeted following MGM's decision. "They ultimately told us they had their own plans for Clarice and they didn't need Hannibal to tell her story. He added, "Don't think this impacts a potential 'Hannibal' Season 4 as we never had Clarice rights."
Clarice Starling was famously portrayed by Jodie Foster in 1991's Silence of the Lambs. Actor Ted Levine portrayed Buffalo Bill -- a serial killer who murders overweight women and skins them so he can make a "woman suit" for himself. The Jonathan Demme-helmed film also starred Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the role that won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
Hannibal stars Mads Mikkelson, Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Gillian Anderson, and Hettienne Park. Despite consistently drawing low ratings, the series accrued an extremely loyal fanbase -- called "Fannibals." Although the series ended in 2015, all three seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: IndieWire