When NBC axed its artful-but-ratings-light masterpiece Hannibal, fans were distraught. What would ever become of Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter after the pair’s literal cliffhanger? And what about Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, who was being served her own leg in the third and final season’s post-credits sequence… What the hell is going on there? Sadly, we’ll probably never know because all of the relevant parties have moved on to other things: Hugh Dancy (Graham) to The Path, Mads Mikkelsen to Rogue One and Doctor Strange, and both creator Bryan Fuller and Gillian Anderson (Du Maurier) to Starz’s latest series, an adaptation of author Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods.
We’ve known about Fuller’s involvement for some time, as he’s showrunning and writing the new show with Michael Green of Heroes fame. But Anderson’s connection to American Gods was just announced, and by the sound of it, her involvement will require all of her appendages to be intact. Why? Because she’s playing a character named “Media,” who serves as “the mouthpiece for the New Gods, functioning as their public face and sales representative, by taking the form of various iconic celebrities”:
She lives off the attention and worship that people give to screens — to their laptops, their TVs, to their iPhones in their hands while they watch their TVs. Ever the perky spokesperson, and always in control, she spins stories in whatever direction best suits her.
In other words, Anderson will be the New Gods’ equivalent to Hermes, the Greek god of commerce who served as a messenger between the divine above and the mortals below. Instead of wearing a silly hat and being fast, however, Media will act, think and sound more like Donald Trump‘s Twitter account or Kim Kardashian’s latest downloadable app. Which sounds frightening, of course, but it’s also the reality of the modern world.
Then again, how awesome would it be if Fuller and friends went full meta? Maybe they’ll film a scene in which Ricky Whittle’s Shadow watches an episode of Hannibal, and when Du Maurier comes into frame, she breaks the fourth wall as Anderson’s Media and relays a message from the New Gods?
(Via Variety)
