Hannibal was one of the most chilling shows on television this year, thanks in no small part to Michael Pitt’s unhinged take on billionaire sadist Mason Verger. For those hoping for a repeat performance, I’m sad to say that Pitt will not be returning to the show, and that the role has been recast. Pitt has reportedly opted out of returning for Hannibal‘s highly-anticipated third season and will be replaced by Across the Universe and The Divide actor Joe Anderson.
As disappointed as I am that Pitt won’t be back, this casting change couldn’t come at a more opportune time. When last we saw Verger, he was in particularly bad shape (feeding parts of your face to dogs will do that), so showrunner Bryan Fuller should have no problem masking the actor shuffle with a bit of makeup.
In fact, it looks like Fuller is doing just that. Anderson himself posted a photo to his Instagram account this week showing a glimpse of his Verger getup, which takes a great deal of inspiration from Gary Oldman’s Verger look in Ridley Scott’s 2001 film, Hannibal.
Check it out below and let us know if you’re sad to hear that Micheal Pitt won’t be reprising his role as Mason Verger when Hannibal returns for its third season.
