Jodie Foster Doesn’t Seem to Regret Turning Down ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ Sequel, ‘Hannibal’
The murderous genius of Hannibal Lecter’s character brought Jodie Foster into the now-classic horror film The Silence of the Lambs. She put in an Oscar-nominated performance as Clarice Starling, taking part in several of the most iconic scenes ever put to film. And then, after all the praise, she left the franchise entirely.
So why did Foster decide to move on from her most famous character? Would follow-ups like Hannibal have benefitted from keeping her on board? And what does Foster herself think about her decision to skip out on the sequels entirely?
Jodie Foster created the definitive take on Clarice Starling
The Silence of the Lambs, the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, was widely regarded as a brilliant follow-up to Red Dragon. Director Michael Mann already adapted that novel in the 1986 dark thriller Manhunter. That attempt, while well-regarded today, was not a box office success.
But The Silence of the Lambs was too potent a story for Orion Pictures to ignore. There was so much interest in Harris’ manuscript that a screenplay was put into production before the novel was even published. Then, once the book hit store shelves, Foster happened to pick it up, Pajiba reports.
She was engrossed by the strange, emotionally fraught story, and lobbied for the role. Her enthusiasm landed her the job. She was prepared to inhabit the smart, but daring-to-a-fault Clarice character.
But she wasn’t prepared for Anthony Hopkins’ take on the character, which legitimately terrified her during their first table read. The two barely talked on set outside of their scenes, although they have become friendly since.
Why didn’t Jodie Foster return for ‘Hannibal’?
The Silence of the Lambs was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won five. Foster took home one of them for her incredible turn as Clarice, alongside Hopkins. The film was a box office hit, a critical success, and is seen as one of the best films of all time to this day.
It wasn’t the first film adapted from Harris’ horror-thriller series. It wouldn’t be the last. But Foster had no interest in returning for the 2001 follow-up, Hannibal. Why wouldn’t a second go at an Oscar-winning role be attractive to the Taxi Driver actress?
According to BuzzFeed, it likely came down to the script. Officially, Foster was busy directing a film during the shooting window for Hannibal. But that movie never left pre-production. Instead, insiders said it was the Contact actor’s issues with the script and the book that inspired it.
The film ultimately toned down Harris’ original vision. But the version of the script that Foster saw contained a litany of controversial, downright bizarre plot points. At the most bizarre end, Clarice and Hannibal have sex. That didn’t make it into the final version of the film adaptation of Hannibal, but that’s the version that Foster turned down.
Hollywood keeps returning to the dark world of Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal was a hit in 2001, although critics weren’t quite as positive on it as audiences seemed to be, according to Rotten Tomatoes. There was a quick attempt to turn the franchise back toward the favor of critics with Red Dragon in 2002. And it largely worked, albeit with less audience interest.
That film covered the same story that had already been covered in Manhunter. It re-introduced audiences to Will Graham, the former FBI profiler that the series would revisit in the fan-favorite, but sparsely-watched Hannibal television series in 2013.
There were also low points for the franchise. 2007’s Hannibal Rising was a critical and box office disaster. And the 2021 TV series Clarice was canceled after one season. While we likely haven’t seen the last of the franchise, it’s not hard to see why Foster was reticent to go all-in unless a great script was already in place.
