Back in January, we learned CBS was developing a TV series loosely based on Jonathan Demme’s 1991 thriller Silence of the Lambs. Four weeks ago, CBS ordered the show’s first season. Now comes the news that the series – titled Clarice – has a showrunner: Elizabeth Klaviter. Klaviter has formerly worked as a producer and writer on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and The Resident. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet – both of whom worked on Star Trek: Discovery – will produce the show. Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars, The Originals) will play Clarice Starling, with the cast also including Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead), Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) and Nick Sandow (Orange Is the New Black).
First released in 1991, Silence of the Lambs is based on a bestselling novel by Thomas Harris. Featuring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in lead roles, the film won the Big Five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Demme), Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Actress (Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally). Hopkins later reprised his iconic performance as cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter in movies Hannibal (in 2001) and Red Dragon (in 2002). However, Clarice won’t feature Lecter at all, focusing instead on Starling’s career as an FBI agent in Washington. The series will premiere during 2020 – 2021 midseason.
