The Hannibal panel dropped a bombshell at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend: The second half of season 3 will skip three years into the future.
For fans who keep track of casting news, this explains why Will Graham’s wife was cast for season 3 but still hasn’t appeared onscreen. She’ll be showing up in the latter half of the season, along with the Red Dragon adaptation we’ve all been waiting for.
For a taste of things to come, here’s a brand new trailer featuring Richard Armitage‘s powerful depiction of the serial killer Francis Dolarhyde. This includes a significant spoiler regarding that upcoming storyline, so watch at your own peril.
Bryan Fuller, Richard Armitage, and Hugh Dancy donned the traditional fannibal flower crowns for the SDCC “pannibal,” discussing the show’s future after its cancellation at NBC. Also worth noting was Fuller’s incredible Star Wars jacket, which was borrowed by both actors over the course of the day.
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After the revelation that Hannibal would be jumping forward in time—a sure sign that they already knew the show was due for cancellation—the panel chatted about upcoming episodes. The Red Dragon story has been altered to fit with the show’s timeline, which is no surprise considering the drastic changes made to Hannibal canon in previous seasons. Fuller emphasized his desire to avoid sexual violence in the show, while Armitage discussed Dolarhyde’s “innocent, childlike” nature in contrast with his brutality as a serial killer.
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ALERT ALERT SIOUXSIE SIOUX WROTE A SONG FOR THE #HANNIBAL SCORE ALERT ALERT THIS IS NOT A DRILL #Pannibal
— Hannibal (@NBCHannibal) July 12, 2015
As for the future of Hannibal, Fuller thinks Ellen Page would make a great Clarice Starling, but “I also love the idea of casting someone not white.” Of course, this relies on the show getting picked up by another network or streaming service, which is looking increasingly unlikely. Fuller actually revealed that Amazon was willing to make a fourth season—but only if they received every script in advance and started production immediately, which would have been impossible.
While the panel felt like something of a swan song for Hannibal, Fuller made sure to say there’s still hope for a fourth season. The show’s production company is still exploring options for renewal, including the possibility of a movie sequel.
Screengrab via Hannibal/YouTube