Red Dragon

It ’s technically the third pic in the dealership , so how does Hannibal Lecter ’s outingRed Dragonfit into the series timeline ? Despite the Brobdingnagian success ofThe muteness Of The Lambs- include advance Oscars for Best Picture , Best Actor and Best Actress - it once seemed there would be no sequels . Production on any follow - up was delayed until source Thomas Harris completed his sequel novel , Hannibal . Harris is splendidly not the most prolific of writers ( having penned six novels full since his 1975 debutBlack Sunday ) , which means it pack nigh a decade forHannibalto arrive .

It was something of a polarizing novel too , withJodie Foster even turn down theHannibalmovie . At the very least , it convince Anthony Hopkins to return to the role of Lecter , with the actor being a hammy delight . After class of wait , the sequel reinvigorate the series , with two more movies follow presently after . Hopkins ' last show in the role was 2002’sRed Dragon , which - due to theHannibalmovie franchise’sconvoluted product chronicle - does n’t abide by on fromHannibal’sevents .

Red Dragon Is A Prequel To Silence Of The Lambs (And Hannibal)

The Movie Explores Hannibal’s Relationship With Will Graham

Red Dragonis a prequel to bothSilence Of The LambsandHannibal . The moving picture is actually the secondadaptation of Harris’Red Dragonnovel , which had previously been made into a Michael Mann thriller calledManhunterin 1986 . That photographic film had no connection toSilence Of The Lambs , however . Red Dragonopens in 1980 when Edward Norton ’s FBI agent Will Graham discovers renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter is a cannibalistic serial killer . After a brutal fight , Lecter is arrested and put behind bars , and the story then jumps to 1986 .

The Silence Of The Lambsitself is set in 1990 , where Lecter helps FBI trainee Clarice Starling ( Foster ) catch serial killer Buffalo Bill ( Ted Levine).Hannibalis set a decade later , in 2000 , when Lecter and Starling ( encounter this meter by Julianne Moore ) cross paths once again . Anthony Hopkins is the connexion between these three movies . Though he is not the only actor to have played Hannibal Lecter , he is the only one to do so in multiple film .

Red Dragon Leads Straight Into Silence Of The Lambs

The Movie’s Ending Leads Directly Into The Silence Of The Lambs

It ’s not the most seamless of connections , but the ending ofRed Dragonleads directly intoSilence Of The Lambs . After Will and his kinfolk have survived one last attempt by The Tooth Fairy ( Ralph Fiennes ) , Graham reads a letter from Lecter wishing him well after he regain from his wounds . In the final scene , sanatorium film director Chilton recite Hannibal that a unseasoned FBI factor ( Clarice ) wants to speak to him , with Lecter asking for her name .

This is an obvious lead - in toSilence Of The Lambs , though turn over the timeline , this suggests Hannibal penned his alphabetic character to Will four years after the issue ofRed Dragon .

The Hannibal Franchise Timeline, Explained

Four Actors Have Played Hannibal Lecter In Various Projects

With three movie inAnthony Hopkins’Hannibaltrilogy , the timeline is already confused with the third movie being a prequel . However , that is just the commencement of the tortuousness about the overall Hannibal Lecter franchise , which goes back beforeThe Silence of the Lambsand Hopkins.1986’sManhunterwas an adaptation of Thomas Harris ’s novelRed Dragonand intimately stick to the same story lay out in the 2002 rendering . However , before Hopkins bring home the bacon an Oscar for playing Hannibal , Brian Cox wager the use in Michael Mann ’s picture show . Manhuntertakes station on its own timeline with no further sequel .

Hannibal Franchise In Chronological Order :

Project

Article image

Hannibal Actor

Hannibal Rising ( 2007 )

Gaspard Ulliel

Collage of Clarice, Hannibal, and Mason in Hannibal.

Custom Image by SR Image Editor

Hannibal ( 2013 - 2015 )

Mads Mikkelsen

Manhunter ( 1986 )

Hannibal staring out from his jail cell in Red Dragon

Based on the series of novels by Thomas Harris, Hannibal is a multimedia franchise that centers around the titular charismatic cannibalistic serial killer and the investigators who always remain one step behind him. The first film adaptation of the character came in 1986 with Manhunter, where Brian Cox took on the role, but since then, Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have taken their turns as the antagonist. Hannibal shot into mainstream success with the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and its subsequent sequels until Bryan Fuller began his adaptation for television.

Brian Cox

Red Dragon ( 2002 )

Anthony Hopkins

Hannibal Franchise Poster

Based on the series of novels by Thomas Harris, Hannibal is a multimedia franchise that centers around the titular charismatic cannibalistic serial killer and the investigators who always remain one step behind him. The first film adaptation of the character came in 1986 with Manhunter, where Brian Cox took on the role, but since then, Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have taken their turns as the antagonist. Hannibal shot into mainstream success with the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and its subsequent sequels until Bryan Fuller began his adaptation for television.

The secretiveness of the Lambs ( 1991 )

Clarice ( 2021 )

N / A

Movies

Hannibal ( 2001 )

AfterRed Dragon , there wasanother prequel in the franchise developed withHannibal Risingin 2007 . That movie is set in 1944 and explores the rootage story of untried Hannibal Lecter as he germinate his murderous leaning while hunt the Nazis that killed his family years before . Gaspard Ulliel takes on the role of Hannibal in that motion picture , although there is no verbatim crosstie to Hopkins ' trilogy beyond the principal character .

Despite it take topographic point in modern times , the series really tells the story of the origin of Hannibal ’s relationship with Will Graham before he was discovered to be a serial killer .

Red Dragon

To further add to the confusion of the timeline , there have also been two television serial tied to the character of Hannibal Lecter . Hannibalpremiered in 2013 and starred Mads Mikkelsen in the titular character . Despite it taking place in modern times , the series really secernate the narrative of the origin of Hannibal ’s kinship with Will Graham before he was discovered to be a successive killer . In the signified of the character ’s timeline , it takes place just before the event ofRed Dragon , however , the modernistic setting arrive at it clear it has no ties to any of the movies .

The seriesClarice , which premiere in 2021 , is a controversial addition to theHannibalfranchise as Hannibal Lecter is only mention and not actually featured . The show takes seat after the effect ofThe Silence of the Lambs and be Clarice Starling ( Rebecca Breeds ) in her career as an FBI broker . The show only hold out for one season with many fans expressing letdown over the tangential ties to the rest of the franchise .

establish on the serial of novel by Thomas Harris , Hannibal is a multimedia franchise that centers around the titulary charismatic cannibalistic sequent killer and the investigators who always stay one footstep behind him . The first moving-picture show adaption of the grapheme came in 1986 with Manhunter , where Brian Cox take on the role , but since then , Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have taken their turns as the antagonist . Hannibal scud into mainstream success with the Oscar - advance The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and its subsequent sequel until Bryan Fuller began his adaptation for television .

The Silence of the Lambs