Actors Who Almost Played NBC’s Hannibal Before Mads Mikkelsen

It’s honestly almost impossible to imagine anyone besides Mads Mikkelsen portraying Dr. Hannibal Lecter on the cult NBC series “Hannibal,” as the Danish actor fully embodies the show’s version of the character. He is Hannibal Lecter, at least onscreen: a Machiavellian manipulator with an obscene wealth of knowledge, an impeccable sense of style, and a tendency toward eating people. His chemistry with his co-stars is undeniable, especially with Hugh Dancy, who plays empath and criminal profiler Will Graham. But back when NBC and series creator Bryan Fuller were first developing the show, they floated some very different actors before finally deciding on the magnificent Mikkelsen. 

Fuller has revealed in interviews that he had to fight a bit to get Mikkelsen cast, because the network wanted someone “more mainstream” than the man mostly known to American audiences as the bloody-teared villain Le Chiffre from “Casino Royale.” Thankfully he got his way and everyone’s favorite murder daddies ended up being played by Dancy and Mikkelsen. Some of the other options would have changed the series entirely. 

In an interview with Collider, Fuller explained that early on NBC wanted someone who would be an easy draw for mainstream America, but it wasn’t necessarily the best decision for the series creatively. While he understood that it was a matter of the network trying to get the biggest audience for their new show, their number one pick for Hannibal Lecter was none other than “High Fidelity” and “Say Anything” star John Cusack. The general idea was that it would be a really surprising turn for the star, who was originally best known for his comedy roles before tackling the world of horror in movies like “Identity” and “1408.” But it’s really difficult to imagine Cusack pulling off the suave, collected and cool Hannibal of the series. 

Cusack has the charisma and confidence of Hannibal, to be sure, but he’s generally at his best when he’s playing someone who’s a little neurotic and self-effacing, which just doesn’t fit the bill. Then again, one of the network’s other primary picks was possibly even worse…

Fuller told Collider that he had to go back and forth with the network quite a bit even after he had absolutely decided on Mikkelsen in his heart. In addition to Cusack, they also tossed around the idea of casting Hugh Grant, a British actor best known for his work in romances and romantic comedies. He has since started doing more character acting, but it’s even harder to imagine Grant as Hannibal than Cusack. Sure, he looks amazing in paisley and plaid, but he just doesn’t have the same otherworldly eccentricity that Mikkelsen brings to the character. (We’ll get to see if he can be truly terrifying in the upcoming “Heretic” from A24, in which the generally goofy Brit looks surprisingly scary.)

For several months after they had cast Dancy, Fuller described a “carousel” that involved the network making offers to Grant or Cusack and coming up empty-handed — all while Fuller asked them to cast Mads. Eventually, one person at NBC listened and caved:

“Finally I just said, ‘Mads is the guy, that’s the guy I see in the role and I have to write it and I have to champion it and I have to understand it,’ and Jennifer Salke at NBC, bless her heart, was like, ‘Okay, that’s your guy. I believe you and trust you and I’m excited about your vision for the shower.'”

Thank goodness Salke finally saw the vision. However, there was one other casting contender that might have been kind of interesting: David Tennant.

Mikkelsen ended up being the perfect man for the role of Hannibal Lecter, but “Doctor Who” star David Tennant was also in the running for a while, even meeting with Fuller to discuss potentially playing the famous cannibal. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Fuller explained that while he’s being “dying to work with [Tennant] forever,” it just didn’t work out for “Hannibal”:

“There was a levity to David’s performance in some ways that was an interesting contrast to Mads’ sobriety in the role. And I find David to be so much fun and so appealing to watch. It’s hard not to love David Tennant onscreen. And that may have had something to do with it. Honestly, it was a decision that was made above my pay grade. But that would have been an interesting extrapolation to see David Tennant as Hannibal. And I do still have the audition on my laptop, and I watch it from time to time, and wonder what would it have been like, just because I love David and his acting style.”

Fans of Tennant who know him best as a cheerful Time Lord might have a hard time picturing him as the human-hungry Hannibal, but his turns as Crowley on “Good Omens” and as Peter Vincent in the 2011 “Fright Night” remake have proven that he’s pretty great at playing slightly scarier roles — albeit with his trademark sense of sarcasm. He would have made for an interesting Hannibal to be certain, but no one could ever replace Mikkelsen in those three purely perfect seasons.