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NBC's Hannibal Almost Cast David Tennant as Dr. Lecter


Though Hannibal never got the ratings that NBC wanted, the show was still a critical darling, and it put Mads Mikkelsen in the spotlight as a very interesting Dr. Hannibal Lecter. As it turns out, the series almost had Doctor Who's David Tennant as the star.

Tennant revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:

"I met [Hannibal executive producer] Bryan Fuller a couple of times, and we talked about it. But I think they quite wisely chose Mads Mikkelsen, I think he was a perfect choice for it, and I think he did things with that character that I wouldn't have managed, so I think the right man got the job."

Though I love the choice of having Mads Mikkelsen be the suave and cool Hannibal of the show, I can imagine that Tennant would be closer to the Lecter that Anthony Hopkins popularized with Silence of the Lambs. Whereas Mikkelsen is calm and collected, I think Tennant would be more of a manic and savage Doctor Lecter.

Tennant did miss out on Hannibal, but he was almost an equally terrifying villain when it came to Kilgrave in Netflix's Jessica Jones. Sure the show is a bit campy at times, but Tennant's portrayal of a super-powered sociopath could make mind control one terrifying hurdle for a superhero.

Now Tennant is set to star alongside Michael Sheen in the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. The miniseries is set to premiere sometime in 2019.

See Also: Main Villain for Luke Cage 2 is Punisher's Rosalie Carbone

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