10 Years After the Finale, Hannibal Season 4 Is Still Possible — But Rights Battles and Costs Keep It Stuck

The finale of Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal aired in 2015, and key members of the show have repeatedly said they want more. However, concrete obstacles — rights split across companies, the need for a platform, and production cost concerns — have so far kept a fourth season from happening.

• What the finale left open and what the creators and cast have said.
• Who controls the rights and how that affects a revival.
• Practical hurdles: platforms, budgets, and timing.
• Recent public comments from Bryan Fuller, Mads Mikkelsen, and Hugh Dancy.

Where the show left off

The TV series Hannibal, inspired by Thomas Harris’ novels, ended its third season with a climactic finale, “The Wrath of the Lamb,” in which Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) fall from a cliff into the sea. The episode also included an after-credits scene featuring Dr. Bedelia du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) and a severed leg. The TV series was praised by critics and collected awards, but NBC canceled it after three seasons amid falling viewership.

Thomas Harris’ Hannibal novels were the source material for the show, and the series received critical attention and awards coverage (FilmAffinity awards), though it did not maintain strong broadcast ratings and was canceled (Complex on the cancellation).

Who has publicly said they want more

Showrunner Bryan Fuller has repeatedly expressed a desire to continue the story. He told TVLine, “It’s not over until I’m dead, as far as I’m concerned.” Both lead actors have also signaled interest: Mads Mikkelsen has said the series “has got to happen eventually,” and Hugh Dancy has said he and others “would love to do it.”

Fuller has kept the show in public view on social media by sharing fan art and coverage, and the cast have discussed the possibility at events. For instance, Mikkelsen and Dancy spoke about the series’ future at Emerald City Comic Con in 2025 and described time jumps as a possible approach.

Fuller also discussed revival efforts in interviews, and the idea of returning to the series has come up several times in public interviews and panels.

Rights and legal obstacles

The main practical barrier is that rights to Hannibal-related characters and storylines are divided. Specifically:

• The De Laurentiis Company controls the rights to Hannibal Lecter, a status that traces back to Dino De Laurentiis acquiring rights to Red Dragon and related characters. The company’s historical role is documented (The Guardian on De Laurentiis).
• Gaumont International Television owns the television-series versions of many characters that appeared on Hannibal, according to Fuller’s comments to Collider in 2020 (Collider interview).
• Thomas Harris retains rights to characters introduced in his later novels (for example, characters from Hannibal and Hannibal Rising).

Because of this split, any new Hannibal production that wants to use the TV show’s specific character versions and the Hannibal character would need agreements between De Laurentiis’ estate, Gaumont, the rights holders for the novels, and a platform to host the show. Fuller has described these rights issues and the need for a platform as the largest hurdles.

Martha De Laurentiis, who controlled the rights to Hannibal Lecter, died in 2021, a fact reported by The Hollywood Reporter, which Fuller and others have said complicates negotiations further (Hollywood Reporter).

Practical hurdles beyond rights

Aside from legal issues, cost and platform interest are central. Hugh Dancy noted production costs and changing streamer economics as reasons a revival is not guaranteed: “I’m talking about the cost of making a season of television.” Full details on production costs and streamer decisions have been discussed publicly in interviews and industry coverage.

Another specific rights example: the character Clarice Starling is controlled by other rights holders tied to The Silence of the Lambs, which limited other TV producers’ ability to use Hannibal or related characters. Coverage of that split and its effects on shows like CBS’s Clarice has appeared in outlets such as The Wrap (The Wrap) and reporting on how rights blocked cross-use in other projects.

Fan interest and conventions

The series has an active fanbase. The show’s subreddit appears on Reddit’s community lists, and fanfiction communities host tens of thousands of works related to the TV series. Archive of Our Own lists many fanworks for Hannibal (snapshot via the Wayback Machine):

https://web.archive.org/web/20250713222209/https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Hannibal%20(TV)/works

There is also a recurring fan convention, Red Dragon, which has invited cast members over multiple years; attendees have included Hugh Dancy, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Mads Mikkelsen, and Caroline Dhavernas at various editions (Red Dragon convention, 2025 edition, 2024 edition).

What creators have said about possibilities

Bryan Fuller has described ideas for a fourth season that would explore Will and Hannibal’s relationship further and develop other characters such as Margot Verger and Alana Bloom. Fuller has said he and rights holders have periodically shopped revival ideas to networks and platforms.

Mads Mikkelsen told Business Insider in 2024 that a return “has got to happen eventually, sooner than later, because we’re not getting any younger,” and that a time jump could be used if needed (Business Insider).

Hugh Dancy reiterated his willingness to return in a 2023 Collider interview, saying the cast “would love to do it” and noting production costs and platform decisions as relevant factors (Collider).

Recent on-stage comments

At Emerald City Comic Con 2025, Mikkelsen and Dancy discussed possible directions and time jumps as one way to continue the story, and Mikkelsen said, “It’s just a question of how much we jump [forward] in time.” Coverage of that appearance is available from event reporting (The Popverse).

Summary of the current situation

In short: Fuller, Mikkelsen, and Dancy have all publicly expressed interest in continuing Hannibal. However, multiple rights holders would need to agree, a platform must commit funding, and practical concerns such as cast availability and production cost remain. Until those pieces align, no season 4 is officially in production.