Season 3 of NBC’s dark, brooding series, Hannibal, isn’t expected to hit our screens until sometime this spring, but now we know of at least one new face slated to appear. The Hobbit star Richard Armitage has clambered aboard the cannibal drama, taking on the role of Francis Dolarhyde. Fans of Thomas Harris’s original series of novels will recognize the name, and perhaps tremble with fear a smidgen as they recall his evil ways captured brilliantly in Red Dragon.
This will mark the third appearance for Dolarhyde outside of the novels. Dubbed The Tooth Fairy, he was originally played by Tom Noonan in Michael Mann’s 1986 adaptation of Red Dragon, Manhunter. Skip forward 16 years, and Ralph Fiennes took on the task of bringing the unhinged psychopath to life in Brett Ratner’s 2002 take on the same source material. It will be intriguing to see how Armitage approaches the role for his six episode story arc.
After two seasons which have thus far consisted of some of television’s finest visuals in years, Hannibal‘s take on Harris’s novels stand as a perfect example of how to do the source justice. While the events of the stories aren’t reproduced with a strict loyalty to the books, the changes have worked wonders in the weekly format. Twinned with intricate, emotional explorations of law enforcement that’s rarely mentioned by lighter procedural fare, and Hannibal has proven that big networks don’t have to pander to stagnant traditions.
Returning to the show’s characters and Armitage will join series regulars Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy and Caroline Dhavernas, along with Gillian Anderson, who has recently been upgraded to a series regular. At this point a firm premiere date for season 3 of Hannibal has not been announced, but as soon as it’s made public we’ll let you know. Until then, let us know your thoughts on Richard Armitage as The Tooth Fairy.
