Why Ridley Scott Rejected Hannibal’s Controversial Novel Ending

Here’s why Ridley Scott rejected the controversial ending found in the Hannibal novel for his movie adaptation. Hannibal Lecter became an instant horror movie icon thanks to Anthony Hopkins’ chilling turn in The Silence Of The Lambs. Brian Cox had previously played the role in 1986’s Manhunter, but Hopkins’ unforgettable work made an indelible impression on audiences. It was only natural for a sequel to be put into development, though it was would take a decade before Hannibal finally hit screens.

Lecter was created by author Thomas Harris for the 1981 novel Red Dragon – which has been adapted three times. Following the massive success of The Silence Of The Lambs, it took Harris a long time to crack the Hannibal novel, so development on a movie version was stalled until he was finished. The book would prove polarizing for its baroque tone and gory violence, and the ending would prove a particular bone of contention. Reportedly, her dislike of the ending to the Hannibal novel was a major reason Jodie Foster passed on reprising the Clarice Starling role for the 2001 Hannibal adaptation.

Hannibal was helmed by Ridley Scott, who at the time was coming off the back of Gladiator’s success. Despite being a big-budget blockbuster aimed at mainstream audiences, the Hannibal movie still managed to port much of the book’s wilder moments. This includes the dinner scene where Ray Liotta’s character is fed pieces from his own brain. Hannibal’s novel ending also saw Clarice and Hannibal run away together and become lovers, which for many was a total betrayal of Clarice’s character. It turns out Scott and the studio felt the same, with the director telling The Guardian in 2001:

“I couldn’t take that quantum leap emotionally on behalf of Starling. Certainly, on behalf of Hannibal – I’m sure that’s been in the back of his mind for a number of years. But for Starling, no. I think one of the attractions about Starling to Hannibal is what a straight arrow she is.”.

Scott’s Hannibal instead ends with Clarice trying to apprehend Lecter, who chops off his hand to escape her handcuffs. He’s last seen on a plane, about to offer a piece of brain to a young boy. The ending left the door open for a further sequel, with Hopkins even penning an unmade Hannibal sequel script, but it totally ignores the finale of Harris’ book. It turns out Scott had the author’s blessing for this change too, who even aided screenwriters in coming up with the movie’s current ending.

The Hannibal movie itself retains some of the book’s flaws, but it’s also surprisingly fun. Movie audiences would likely have despited the novel’s ending for Hannibal and Clarice because while there’s always been an odd kind of attraction between them, having them live happily ever after and in a romantic relationship just won’t fit. Hopkins has since ruled out a return as Lecter, so this ending is likely to remain unfilmed.

About The Author

Padraig Cotter
(3499 Articles Published)

It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

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