Get a Taste of Hannibal’s Fannibal Eating Event with Bryan Fuller
In celebration of the Blu-ray and DVD release of the third and final season of NBC’s “Hannibal,” we were invited to an exclusive event in Beverly Hills, CA, at The Bazaar by José Andrés (Andrés was one of the food consultants for the show). Sitting at the table with us were Bryan Fuller (creator and showrunner), Martha De Laurentiis (executive producer), and Loretta Ramos (co-producer), who broke bread (and brains) with us and spilled tons of secrets and insider stories! (We even heard some tales from Bryan about his college days living with Asian lesbians that are really only fit for the Penthouse Forum…)
When I arrived at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, where The Bazaar is housed, a tuxedoed valet took my car, and I was escorted up the stairs, spirited through the restaurant, then ushered into a private dining room tucked away behind the elaborate bar. The room was all decked out with “Hannibal” goodies, including action figures of Hannibal, Will, and Jack; a special edition softcover book on the art and making of “Hannibal”; and posters showing Mads Mikkelsen in character licking his bloody chops.
There was an amazing array of dishes dispersed throughout the evening, tapas style. I must confess to turning my nose up at the “sweetbreads” (hmm… there’s nothing sweet about those, and they ain’t bread either) and the grilled Spanish octopus (in spite of the Cthulhu connection). But I did try everything else – and how! They should have finished the dinner with a digestive aperitif – including Jose’s favorites: king crab with raspberries and vinegar; croquequetas de pollo; philly cheesesteak with air bread, cheddar and waygu beef; wild mushroom rice with idiazabal cheese; and tuna belly, to name just a few. Dessert was pan con chocolate and traditional Spanish flan. To top it all off, we had a featured cocktail inspired by “Hannibal,” which was all fogged up with Islay Mist and flame and made of atomized scotch with bloody-red blackberries.
The brilliant minds behind “Hannibal” had a lot to say about the show between bites.
Fuller, who is as much a “fannibal” as anyone, was talking how he keeps up with fanfic and songs inspired by the show. He loves Halia Meguid’s acoustic tune “The Ravenstag.” “It’s a shockingly good song!” he said. “She’s a lovely young lady strumming a guitar and singing a capella about Will Graham’s petronis.” (A “petronis” is a lucky charm… I had to look it up. Oh, Fuller and his $10 words!) “It’s shockingly good! Google ‘Raven Stag song,’ and you’ll hear. That’s better than it deserves to be. It’s amazing.”
He also told us a group of fans are Kickstarting a book of original artwork – which he contributed to “because I want a copy!” – and added, “It’s so bizarre how sexualized this stuff is. Every once in a while for shits and giggles I’ll Google ‘Hannibal fucking Will Graham’ to see what people are doing nowadays. I’ve seen some where Will’s the top. Mostly, Will is the bottom!” he laughed.
There was also a very spoilerific discussion about what the final episode of “Hannibal” really means. [SPOILER WARNING] Some folks thought that Bedelia cooked her own leg and was, er, stood up by Will and Hannibal. But Bryan and Martha both said no, Hannibal did the dismembering.
Bryan gushed about Gillian Anderson as Bedelia. “The thing I love about Gillian’s performance is that it’s very sophisticatedly comedic. There are places where she marches right up to Madeline Kahn in Clue, but doesn’t quite go there. And then when Jack gives her that ‘bitch, please…’ line, and she’s like, ‘What? Me?,’ it’s just a brilliant comedic performance that’s so unexpected. And she’s so funny as a person, too. I’m really looking forward to our next things because she walks on water.”
As far as continuing “Hannibal” sometime down the road, Fuller said, “Martha and I are talking about that. I think it’s a good idea to let it lay for a couple of years and then relaunch with Hannibal [in his Silence of the Lambs phase]. I think there are some ways to really make a meal of that story – but in a different way, because Silence of the Lambs really is a perfect film. There is not going to be a better film version. So to do it in the same way that we did with Red Dragon, we’d maybe flashback to him meeting Jame Gumb [Buffalo Bill].”
There was lots of scuttlebutt about other shows – Fuller is watching and loving “Fargo” and he liked the first cycle of “True Detective” but didn’t care for the second season’s overly somber, dramatic tone. He also watches “The Walking Dead” – seems like Fuller is really keeping up with what’s new and popular. (Needless to say, he also loves “The Fall,” starring Gillian Anderson.)
Upcoming projects they talked out were “American Gods” (Fuller) and a “Barbarella” series (DeLaurentiis). “American Gods” is going to be very close to the Neil Gaiman book, Fuller promises. As far as “Barbarella” goes, DeLaurentiis says she’s definitely not looking at network TV because she wants to preserve the sex appeal of the Jean-Claude Forest French comics… but there’s not much else to say yet. She hasn’t begun the casting process, but we’ll keep you posted!
“Hannibal” Season 3 Release Details:
From the imaginative mind of Bryan Fuller (TV’s “Heroes” and “Pushing Daisies”) comes the final chapter of the smash hit series Hannibal: Season Three, keeping viewers’ spines tingling on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) December 8th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Based on the series of novels by Thomas Harris that sparked a cult following and major motion picture franchise, the deliciously dark and twisted series brings Hannibal Lecter’s chillingly genius insanity to life.
Based on the characters and elements appearing in the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, “Hannibal,” from Gaumont International Television (in association with Sony Pictures Television Networks), stars Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt) as the iconic Hannibal Lecter, Emmy® Award nominee Hugh Dancy (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, “Elizabeth I,” 2006), Gillian Anderson (TV’s “The X-Files”), and Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (Best Actor in a Leading Role, What’s Love Got to Do with It, 1993). The show co-stars Caroline Dhavernas (TV’s “Off the Map”) and guest stars Eddie Izzard (Valkyrie), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek franchise), Gina Torres (TV’s “Suits”), Raul Esparza (TV’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Mía Maestro (TV’s “The Strain”), Scott Thompson (TV’s “The Colbert Report”), Rutina Wesley (HBO’s “True Blood”), and Katharine Isabelle (Syfy’s “Being Human”).
Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) is on the run in Europe — accompanied by his psychiatrist, Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) — sporting a new identity, but servicing the same insatiable appetite. As the lives of Will (Hugh Dancy) and Jack (Laurence Fishburne) converge toward Hannibal again, each with their own motivations to catch him once and for all, their deadly dance turns in startling and unexpected ways.
Hannibal: Season Three contains all 13 episodes and is loaded with special features that include select episode audio commentaries with the cast and crew, behind-the-scenes featurettes, webisodes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. The Hannibal: Season Three Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $24.98, respectively.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew
- “Getting the Old Scent Again: Reimagining Red Dragon” Featurette
- “Beyond the Mind Palace” Featurette
- “Hannibal on the Run” Featurette
- Avid Fannibals
- “Hannibal: Season 3: Killer Intentions” Featurette
- Post Mortem with Scott Thompson (Webisodes)
- Gag Reel
- Deleted Scenes
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