The somewhat inexplicableHannibal Lecter Cinematic Universecontinues rolling onward, albeit in fits and starts. CBS has released the first short trailer forClarice,a new series that follows the continued investigations of Clarice Starling, FBI agent, hunter of murderers, and Hannibal Lecter’s complicated fave.
Clariceis a period piece set in 1993, in the unexplored stretch of time betweenThe Silence of the Lambs,where Clarice was still in the FBI Academy,andHannibal,when she’s a jaded FBI agent in her 30s. InClarice,Starling is freshly graduated, one year out from her encounterwith the serial killer Buffalo Bill, and a newbie FBI agent stationed in Washington DC.
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“Brilliant and vulnerable, Clarice’s bravery gives her an inner light that draws monsters and madmen to her,” to quote CBS’s official summary of the show. “However, her complex psychological makeup that comes from a challenging childhood empowers her to begin to find her voice while working in a man’s world, as well as escape the family secrets that have haunted her throughout her life.”
Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars) is set to play Clarice Starling, which means she’s got one of thetoughest jobs in TVin 2021. She has to follow up a couple of all-timer performances in film by Jodie Foster, who won her second Academy Award for Best Actress in 1992 for her role as Starling, and Julianne Moore.
Breeds is joined by Michael Cudlitz (Southland, The Walking Dead) as her future nemesis Paul Krendler, who was famously played by Ray Liotta in 2001’s film adaptation ofHannibal. (There can’t be that manycases of autocannibalism in film history, and among them, Liotta’s character’s fate inHannibalsits right up near the top).Clarice’s main cast also includes Kal Penn(House),Nick Sandow(Orange is the New Black),and Devyn A. Tyler (Fear the Walking Dead). Lucca De Oliviera (SEAL Team),Jayne Atkinson(24), Shawn Doyle, and Tim Guinee have also been cast in unknown or recurring roles for the first season.
One interesting appearance in the cast is Catherine Martin, played by relative newcomer Mamee Carpenter. Martin was Buffalo Bill’s final intended victim inThe Silence of the Lambs,played by Brooke Smith(Grey’s Anatomy),who Starling managed to save. Her presence inClariceas a member of the main cast isan interesting potential twist.
Claricewas created by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, via Kurtzman’s production company Secret Hideout. This putsClariceunder the same roof as all of the currently runningStar Trekseries, theHalolive-action TV show that’scurrently under production for Showtime, and this year’s political miniseriesThe Comey Rule. Hopefully, this will result in a sweeps-week stunt where the Federation will go to war with the UNSC unless Clarice can catch the serial killer who really committed a crime.
Claricewill premiere on February 11th, 2021, on both CBS and CBS All Access.
