The news of NBC’s cancelation of Hannibal hit the Internet just a few hours ago and — given the voracious nature of its “Fannibals” — a petition to save the series hit Change.org almost immediately. With Bryan Fuller running the series for the past three seasons, stunning visuals and cutting edge storytelling hit the network in a manner that was, and still is, uncommon for broadcast programming.
However — given the controversial subject matter and shifting time-slots — the series was never truly embraced by a larger audience. Many were surprised that The Peacock even renewed the program after the first season.
Currently, the petition to keep the series alive has racked up over 5,000 signatures in the past few hours. There is obvious demand to keep Thomas Harris’ story alive, and The De Laurentiis Company recognized that on Twitter earlier this afternoon:
#Hannibal was always in danger of cancellation due to subject matter, and others have expressed interest in partnering with us.
— DeLaurentiis Co (@DeLaurentiisCo) June 22, 2015
We hope to bring you future seasons. Let's focus on the amazing #Fannibal family we have formed, and move forward together! #Hannibal
— DeLaurentiis Co (@DeLaurentiisCo) June 22, 2015
Since Gaumont International Television has distribution rights in their partnership with The De Laurentiis Company, it may be a lot easier for the series to gain traction elsewhere. Comments on our original announcement of NBC’s cancelation of the series suggested Netflix to be a great place for Hannibal to end up. While I agree with that sentiment, there may be a conflict as Amazon Prime has exclusive streaming rights to the series through a four-year deal the company made with NBC Universal two years ago.
All this being said, Hannibal will still have a presence at San Diego Comic Con, and if the fans have anything to say about it, this probably won’t be the last we see of Will Graham and Dr. Lecter on the small-screen.
(Via Change.org, DeLaurentiisCo, SDCCBlog and Variety)
