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“Hannibal” Is Likely Dead. Here’s Why…
This is not the way I wanted to start my holiday weekend – dining on cheap burgers and brats, instead liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
Even though the collective world acted surprised by the cancellation of NBC’s “Hannibal,” I’ve been holding the stance that it was always the plan. There have been enough clues in past writings that NBC and show runner Bryan Fuller always imagined the series as a trilogy of sorts, and us fans were “gifted” a third season in order to tie it all together.
Still, when “Hannibal” was canceled, there was a lot of talk about it continuing on through a streaming platform like Amazon or Netflix.
In some fresh news, we learn how this is probably impossible, and get the vibe that, as suggested above, this was always the plan.
According to Deadline, the first hurdle to bringing “Hannibal” back would have been to resign stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen. Bring them back? Well, yeah, they’re no longer under contract.
Both Dancy and Mikkelsen are already fielding film and TV offers, adds the site who explains that their options expired last night and were not extended by Hannibal producer Gaumont International Television.
Even more disheartening is understanding why a deal with Netflix won’t be happening…
Still, the independent production company continues talks with potential distributors. If Hannibal finds a new home, new deals have to be hammered out with both Dancy and Mikkelsen. Still, if the show gets a new season elsewhere and the two are still available, I hear both love the show and have indicated that they would like to reprise their roles as Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Still, there are other, even bigger obstacles for a fourth season of Hannibal. For once, the show has an exclusive deal with Amazon, making a pact with other streaming services virtually impossible.
It gets even worse, as they’ve lost show runner Bryan Fuller, too.
“And, more importantly, Hannibal has lost its creative force, developer/executive producer Bryan Fuller to a new series, Starz’s American Gods.’ He remains committed to Hannibal, but a possible fourth season has to wait for him to finish the recently ordered first season of ‘American Gods,’ which would be a challenge for potential buyers.
“Hannibal” is likely dead, and all hope is gone. As I stated before, at least we have the ongoing Season 3 to celebrate what was and not what could have been…
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for his role in 1993’s Jurassic Park, has passed away this week at 78 years old. In a statement shared on Neill’s Instagram page this morning, the actor’s family said that his passing was “sudden and unexpected.”
Neill had been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2022, but stated the following year that he was in remission. The family notes that he “remained cancer free” at the time of his passing.
The family statement reads, “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.
“They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
In addition to his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park and the sequels Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World: Dominion, Sam Neill left an indelible mark on the horror genre with memorable roles in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession, The Omen: The Final Conflict, John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, and sci-fi horror favorite Event Horizon.
Sam Neill’s vast resume in film and television began in the early 1970s and also includes the films Sleeping Dogs, Enigma, The Good Wife, A Cry in the Dark, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Hostage, The Jungle Book, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, The Horse Whisperer, Bicentennial Man, Daybreakers, Escape Plan, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Sam Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
Steven Spielberg said in a statement to Variety, “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.”
Spielberg adds, “Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
Sam Neill in ‘Event Horizon’
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