Bryan Fuller’s Ambitious Plan for ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Limited Series Starring Zendaya and Mads Mikkelsen

Bryan Fuller, the creator behind “Hannibal,” has long been fascinated by Thomas Harris’ world of Dr. Hannibal Lecter—and now he’s attempting to concoct one hell of an ambitious project.

In a recent chat with ScreenRant at TIFF, where his new horror movie “Dust Bunny,” starring Mads Mikkelsen, has earned decent reviews, Fuller revealed his ultimate passion project: a limited series adaptation of “The Silence of the Lambs” with Mikkelsen returning as Hannibal and Zendaya stepping into the role of Clarice Starling.

Fuller didn’t hold back. “My dream project is to do a limited series of “Silence of the Lambs” with Mads and Zendaya as Clarice Starling,” he said. “If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe.”

Clarice, of course, is one of modern cinema’s most memorable female characters—brilliant, resourceful, and magnetic on screen. Jodie Foster famously defined her in “The Silence of the Lambs,” while Julianne Moore and Rebecca Breeds offered their own, less iconic, interpretations in later adaptations.

Fuller’s pitch? Take the psychological cat-and-mouse of Harris’ novels—“Red Dragon,” “Hannibal,” and “Hannibal Rising”—and reimagine it for a new generation with Zendaya at the center.

Of course, the twin peaks of the Hannibal-verse are Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs” and Michael Mann’s “Manhunter.” Ridley Scott’s botched attempt, “Hannibal,” nearly killed the creative juice before Brett Ratner brought it back on track with his more-than-decent “Red Dragon” a year later. Then 2007’s “Hannibal Rising,” helmed by Peter Webber, effectively destroyed the franchise for good.

It wasn’t until Fuller stepped in that the Hannibal story found new life. With his TV series “Hannibal” (2013–2015), Fuller transformed the material into something darker, more stylish, and psychologically rich than any adaptation since Demme’s.