A new crime drama, Clarice, is now set at CBS. The show is based on the famous Thomas Harris book character, Clarice Starling, and will take place after the events in Harris’ The Silence Of the Lambs, acting as a sequel story.
Harris, notably, wrote a sequel to Silence, called Hannibal, which was turned into a movie in 2001. In the film, Anthony Hopkins reprised his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter while Julianne Moore took over as Clarice, from Jodie Foster who won an Oscar for the role in Silence.
CBS’s Clarice will not be based on Hannibal (the book) and — per Deadline — will be “set in 1993, a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs. The series is a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling, as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.”
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Clarice will be written and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, Sleepy Hollow, Star Trek) and Jenny Lumet (2017’s The Mummy).
“After more than 20 years of silence, we’re privileged to give voice to one of America’s most enduring heroes – Clarice Starling,” said Kurtzman and Lumet. “Clarice’s bravery and complexity have always lit the way, even as her personal story remained in the dark. But hers is the very story we need today: her struggle, her resilience, her victory. Her time is now, and always.”
This news comes a soft blow to fans of NBC’s Hannibal, who’ve been hoping the series might return and do a Silence of the Lambs-based fourth season. Previously, Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller was never able to adapt Silence, or use the character of Clarice Starling, because he only had the rights to the Harris novels Red Dragon, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising (all of which were adapted for the show). MGM, who are producing Clarice for CBS, owns the rights to The Silence of the Lambs so that’s why this show is going forward with Clarice as its linchpin, and in a procedural type environment (CBS’ bread and butter), telling a different post-Lecter story.
Side note: Right around the time that NBC ordered Hannibal, MGM and Lifetime tried to develop a Silence of the Lambs prequel series based on Clarice. We’re bringing this up because it’s unlikely Clarice will be able to use the character of Hannibal Lecter because he was introduced in a different book. Same goes for the Jack Crawford character. Which is why the Silence-based show ideas are based on Clarice’s life before or after Lecter.
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Source: IGN.com Silence of the Lambs Sequel Series Headed to CBS