The ''Hannibal Lecter'' franchise is an American

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

based around the eponymous character, Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, cannibalistic serial killer whose assistance is routinely sought out by law enforcement personnel to aid in the capture of other criminals. He originally appeared in a series of novels (starting with '' Red Dragon'' in 1981) by

Thomas Harris William Thomas Harris III (born September 22, 1940) is an American writer. He is the author of a series of suspense novels about Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, including '' The Silence o ...

. The series has since expanded into film and television, having four timeline-connected franchise films: '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991), ''

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

'' (2001), '' Red Dragon'' (2002) and ''

Hannibal Rising ''Hannibal Rising'' is a psychological horror novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 2006. It is the fourth and final novel in Harris's series and the first novel in chronological order of the novels of Thomas Harris centered aro ...

'' (2007), with three starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

Novels

''Red Dragon'' (1981)

''The Silence of the Lambs'' (1988)

''Hannibal'' (1999)

''Hannibal Rising'' (2006)

Films

''Manhunter'' (1986)

The first adaptation was the 1986 film ''Manhunter'', which was an adaptation of ''Red Dragon'', directed by

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...

. Brian Cox stars as Hannibal Lecter (in the film, the surname is changed to Lecktor).

''The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991)

The next adaptation was 1991's ''The Silence of the Lambs'', which was directed by

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an ...

and was the first film to feature

in the role of Hannibal Lecter. ''Silence'' was a success, both critically and financially, and went on to become the third film in

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

history to win in all top five categories ( Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Actress for

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

, Best Director for Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally, and Best Picture).

''Hannibal'' (2001)

Hopkins reprised the role in 2001's ''

'', a sequel directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

''Red Dragon'' (2002)

Hopkins once again reprised the role in '' Red Dragon'', a prequel directed by

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour (film series), ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', ''Red Dragon (2002 film), Red Dragon'', ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''Tower Heist ...

. In 2002, Hopkins revealed that he had written a screenplay for another sequel, ending with

Clarice Starling Clarice M. Starling is a fictional character and protagonist of the novels '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1988) and ''Hannibal'' (1999) by Thomas Harris. In the 1991 film adaptation of ''The Silence of the Lambs'', she was played by Jodie Foster ...

killing Lecter, but it was not produced.

''Hannibal Rising'' (2007)

In 2007, ''Hannibal Rising'' was released. The film is a prequel, directed by Peter Webber and starring Gaspard Ulliel as Lecter.

Television

''Hannibal'' (2013–2015)

In 2013, the TV series ''Hannibal'' premiered. Developed by

Bryan Fuller Bryan Fuller (born July 27, 1969) is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series ''Pushing Daisies'' (2007–2009) and ''Hannibal (TV series), Hannibal'' (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writ ...

, it is not a direct adaptation, but based on characters and elements from the novels. Some male characters have become female, such as Freddy Lounds, who is renamed Fredricka "Freddie" Lounds. The series has garnered much critical acclaim since its premiere, winning the 2014 and 2015

Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

for Best Network Television Series, as well as the inaugural Best Action-Thriller Television Series award in 2016.

''Clarice'' (2021)

In May 2012, Lifetime announced to develop a television series centered on Starling after her graduation from the FBI academy, which was to be produced by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

; the project was never picked up and was shelved. CBS later developed the series of the same name, with Alex Kurtzman and

Jenny Lumet Jenny Lumet (born February 2, 1967) is an American actress and screenwriter. She is the daughter of director Sidney Lumet and granddaughter of Lena Horne. Lumet wrote the original screenplay of the 2008 Jonathan Demme film '' Rachel Getting Marr ...

as producers, as a sequel to ''The Silence of the Lambs'' set in 1993, starring

Rebecca Breeds Rebecca Elizabeth Breeds (born 17 June 1987) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her leading roles as Ruby Buckton on the Seven Network soap opera ''Home and Away'' (2008–2012) and Clarice Starling on the CBS crime drama series ...

as Starling. The show premiered in 2021.

Cast and characters

Reception

Box office performance

The ''Hannibal Lecter'' films, when compared to other top-grossing American horror franchises—'' Alien vs.

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

'', '' Candyman'', '' Child's Play'', ''

The Conjuring ''The Conjuring'' is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan and written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes. It is the inaugural film in ''The Conjuring'' Universe franchise. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga star as E ...

'', ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

'', ''

Evil Dead ''Evil Dead'' is an American horror franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of five feature films and a television series. The series follows various characters as they battle demonic forces unleashed by an ancient book called the ''Necrono ...

'', ''

Final Destination ''Final Destination'' is an American horror franchise that includes six films, ten novels, and two comic books. It is based on an unproduced spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, originally written for the television series ''The X-Files''. All of ...

'', '' Friday the 13th'', ''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'', ''

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker in his directorial debut. Based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart'', the film's plot concerns a mystical puzzle box that summons the ...

'', '' I Know What You Did Last Summer'', '' Jaws'', ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American Supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...

'', ''

The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Sp ...

'', ''

Paranormal Activity Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

'', '' Psycho'', '' The Purge'', ''

Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...

'', '' Scream'', and ''

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' is a 1974 American independent horror film produced, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, an ...

''—is one of the highest grossing horror film franchises.

Critical reception

Musical

In 2005, comedian-musicians Jon and Al Kaplan, most famous for their musical re-imaginings of popular films as

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

musicals, parodied ''The Silence of the Lambs'', especially the film version, in '' Silence! The Musical''. It premiered

Off-Off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway theatre, Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commerc ...

and has since had acclaimed productions in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(2009) and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(2012). In 2012, it won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle – Score, Lead Performance, Choreography Award. In 2016, rock band Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends released their second record, ''The Art of Murder'', a concept album which was "directly inspired by the Hannibal Lecter series of books by Thomas Harris".

References

{{Hannibal Lecter Mass media franchises introduced in 1981 Thriller novel series Horror mass media franchises Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer franchises Universal Pictures franchises