Mads Mikkelsen left fans hungry for more when the Hannibal lead teased the horror-thriller could finally be returning for Season 4.
Posting on social media, Mikkelsen shared a post to celebrate the show's upcoming arrival on Netflix. If that wasn't enough to get viewers excited, the star teased in the caption, "Hannibal hits Netflix in June: Is Hannibal season 4 on the way?" While Fuller has previously hinted he wasn't done with telling the story of Dr. Lecter, things have been quiet since Season 3's cliffhanger ending back in 2015.
Though Anthony Hopkins was known for playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon, Mikkelsen took the character in a different direction for NBC's television adaptation. Hannibal boasted an all-star cast of Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas Laurence Fishburne, and Gillian Anderson, however, it always struggled in the ratings, causing the network to pull the plug after just three seasons, and although there were talks of another studio picking up the story, Hannibal has not yet been revived.
It is important to note that Mikkelsen's post links to an article speculating on Hannibal's return. Of course, it is possible that the star is building hype for the show's arrival on Netflix and the idea of Season 4's potential. Although Fuller stated talks for Season 4 were underway in 2017, there hasn't been an update on Hannibal since. Elsewhere, CBS announced it was working on a TV sequel to The Silence of the Lambs that would focus on Clarice Starling. The news caused a backlash among the Hannibal fandom as viewers claimed there was more interest in reviving Fuller's series than there would be in an entirely new project.
Hannibal's first three seasons focused on the complicated relationship between Mikkelsen's Lecter and Dancy's Will Graham - which Fuller explained he was going to continue after Season 3's finale. Despite a complicated rights issue, Fuller explained he had always wanted to tell The Silence of the Lambs' story and had mapped out a six-season arc for the characters. He had championed The Umbrella Academy's Ellen Page as his perfect choice for Clarice Starling, but with the CBS officially giving the green light on the standalone project, it is uncertain if Fuller's Hannibal plans would be feasible.
Hannibal's original cancelation was a case of bad timing as Netflix reportedly wanted to continue the story but was unable to due to an exclusive streaming deal with Amazon. Amazon planned to broadcast Season 4 immediately while Fuller wanted to spend more time on the scripts. In the end, neither party could agree and Hannibal has been stuck in development hell. With Netflix's original interest and the streaming giant being the new home of Hannibal, Mikkelsen's post may prove to be more than just a tease.