Update: January 21, 2015
Nina Arianda Cast as Will Graham's Love Interest in HANNIBAL
Last week, news broke that The Hobbit‘s Richard Armitage would be joining NBC’s gorgeous and hauntingly directed Hannibal in the multi-episode role of a killer known as “The Tooth Fairy.” This week, even more surprising news: Hannibal has cast not another killer, but a love interest for Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). Tony winner Nina Arianda (30 Rock) has starred on Broadway with Dancy before in Venus in Furs, and will — like Armitage — play a recurring character. Proceed with caution, though: major spoilers ahead for Hannibal Season 3, and the role Arianda will be playing.
According to TVLine, Hannibal‘s third season will jump forward in time, finding Will married to Arianda’s character Molly. Single mom Molly is described as a strong, vibrant thirtysomething who is not only unperturbed by her husband’s dark and occasionally tortured past — but has worked to help him overcome it. She “understands that Will is a good man, and her love has allowed him to rebuild himself. But when Will is asked to return to the FBI, she also urges him to try and save lives, knowing what risks this entails.”
Broadway Actress Nina Arianda is Will Graham's Love Interest in Hannibal Season 3
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Update: January 13, 2015
Richard Armitage Joins HANNIBAL Season 3 as The Tooth Fairy
Richard Armitage (The Hobbit) will reportedly join season two of NBC's Hannibal in the role of Francis Dolarhyde (a.k.a. The Tooth Fairy), who has a prominent role in Thomas Harris‘ Red Dragon novel. One of Hannibal‘s major improvements in its second season was how it moved away from the “killer of the week” setup, and instead expanded its storytelling to multi-episode arcs. According to TV Line Armitage’s Tooth Fairy is set to appear in six upcoming Season 3 episodes, which is great news not only for Armitage fans but also for those who are happy to see the show growing away from a strict procedural setup.
The Tooth Fairy / Dolarhyde character is described as “hulking,” and is — naturally — a serial killer. His twist is that he enjoys targeting entire households for slaughter. But does he also share Dr. Lecter’s predilection for consuming his victims, as well?
It’s also worth noting, in other recent Hannibal news, that the role of Mason Verger has been recast. The mutable Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire) decided to walk away from the show, sadly (after eating his own face. On NBC.) The good news is, he’s been replaced by Joe Anderson, who recently appeared in the criminally underrated WeTV series The Divide. Hannibal will rise again on NBC in the spring, as part of the network’s midseason lineup.
THE HOBBIT’s Richard Armitage Joins HANNIBAL Season 3 as Francis Dolarhyde
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Update: December 22, 2014
First Look at Joe Anderson as Mason Verger in HANNIBAL Season 3
Last week, it was reported that Joe Anderson was replacing Michael Pitt to play Mason Verger in Hannibal: Season 3. This was understandably met with some disappointment since Pitt was terrific as Verger. Anderson has been Instagramming some photos of his gruesome visage.
The folks at TV Line add that Hannibal Season 3 will be introducing the recurring character of Cordell, a “quiet, very intelligent and definitely creepy” man who acts as the personal doctor to Verger, so that gives us a brief idea of where his character will be when things pick back up.
First Look at Joe Anderson as Mason Verger in HANNIBAL: Season 3
