Hugh Dancy is the first actor cast in NBC’s “Hannibal,” which has already been picked up as a 13-episode series.
According to a variety of media reports — we’ll cite HollywoodReporter.com for variety — Dancy will play Will Graham in what is effectively a prequel to the Thomas Harris’ book “Red Dragon,” focusing on the first interactions between the ace FBI profiler and sociopathic nemesis Hannibal Lecter.
Will Graham has been played by William Petersen and Edward Norton in the two film adaptations of “Red Dragon.”
“Hannibal” was written by Bryan Fuller and is being financed through Gaumont International Television.
It remains to be seen which actor will be tapped for the scenery-chewing title role.
Most recently seen on the big screen in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “Our Idiot Brother,” Dancy’s TV credits include “The Big C,” “Elizabeth I” and “Daniel Deronda.”