Anderson will feature in a multi-episode arc as Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, the personal therapist of Thomas Harris' notorious serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, with Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, The Hunt) stepping in to the role made famous by Anthony Hopkins in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs.
"Every therapist needs their own head examined and we are ecstatic that Gillian Anderson has chosen Hannibal to mark her return to American television after 10 years to portray Dr. Lecter’s personal psychiatrist," said Fuller, who is producing the series for NBC. "Her intelligence and sophistication, not to mention her pedigree of ground-breaking TV, make her the perfect actress to match wits and psychological manipulations with one of the greatest villains of pop culture. I couldn’t be more excited."
Along with Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal will star Hugh Dancy (Martha Marcy May Marlene) as Special Agent Will Graham, Caroline Dhavernas (The Pacific) as Dr. Alana Bloom, Lara Jean Chorostecki (Beauty and the Beast) as Freddie Lounds, Aaron Abrams (The L.A. Complex) as Brian Zeller, Hettienne Park (Young Adult) as Beverly Katz and Laurence Fishburne (Man of Steel) as Special Agent Jack Crawford. The series is set to air next year.
