‘Silence of the Lambs’ TV Sequel ‘Clarice’ to Get to ‘the Heart’ of the Character
After being fast-tracked into development, the Clarice television series at CBS is coming soon. The Silence of the Lambs sequel series premieres in just a few days and ahead of it, the cast and team behind it are teasing what’s to come.
The original ‘Silence of the Lambs’ film and what to expect in the new series
The original Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991, based on the 1988 novel. It starred Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. The film followed FBI newbie Clarie Starling as she sought the help of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter to catch another serial killer. It considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Also, it is one of only three films to win the top five Oscar prizes: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. So far, it is the only horror film to win Best Picture.
Clarice is written and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. Kurtzman and Lumet already have deep ties at ViacomCBS as they produce and write for both Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek: Picard.
The series is set in 1993, a year after the events of Silence of the Lambs. According to CBS’s official description of the series, it is ” a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.” Alongside Rebecca Breeds as the titular character, the series also stars Lucca De Oliveira, Devyn A. Tyler, Kal Penn, Nick Sandow, Michael Cudlitz, and Marnee Carpenter.
What to expect in the upcoming series ‘Clarice’
During the show’s Television Critics Association panel, Lumet talked about the series before the floor was opened for questions. She explained her own connection to the character of Clarice Starling and what the series will examine.
“I remember the moment when Clarice Starling became my hero,” said Lumet. In The Silence of the Lambs, she was somehow able to go down into the dark and find the human and the monsters and then pull out the light. And I thought, as I watched her, this is a woman with a lot of secrets. And I like that. And then she went silent for years and I couldn’t let it go, that you had this hero, this icon, this mystery.”
Lumet says the series will bring together what happened in the years after this. “What happened in those missing years? And I reached out to Thomas Harris, and when I say I reached out, I mean that I email-stalked him until he responded to me and he was extraordinarily gracious. And we spoke about the light in Clarice’s eyes, and he said, ‘It’s ours now.’ And then I got all goose bumpy, because it was Thomas Harris talking to me.”
All in all, it looks like Clarice will look at the character in a new light, with Lumet adding, “I want to know — I felt that responsibility and I want to know the light and the dark and the mind and the heart of this woman, this hero, Clarice Starling.”
Clarice premieres Feb. 11 on CBS.
