Hannibal Lecter Cannot Appear on the CBS Drama 'Clarice'

Those who didn't have nightmares for weeks upon viewing the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs may be interested in seeing the story continue on the new CBS drama, Clarice. 

The series centers around Clarice Starling (Rebecca Breeds) and her work after dealing with notorious serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Though the character has always existed opposite Hannibal Lecter, the series is instead focused on her interactions with other predators. 

However, though Clarice takes place after the events in the movie, some viewers might wonder if Hannibal Lecter will make a cameo to offer guidance to the detective.

Anthony Hopkins was the first actor to take on the Hannibal Lecter role, and many can still hear him creepily uttering, "Hello, Clarice," at Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling.

Will he reprise the role in the Rebecca Breeds edition for Clarice?

Though some fans of The Silence of the Lambs film might be on the lookout for Anthony Hopkins to play Hannibal Lecter once again, the character will not be part of Clarice at all.

While it has been billed as a sequel, don't expect to see many of the same characters from the movie translated onto the small screen.

The series begins in 1993, about a year after Clarice was first sent to interview the notorious killer in a Baltimore psychiatric facility. 

In addition to trying to leave the movie plot behind, Clarice isn't actually allowed to mention Hannibal Lecter at all.

The character was first created in Thomas Harris' 1988 novel of the same name. The Dino De Laurentiis Company and MGM divide the rights to portray the book's characters on screen.

While the NBC series Hannibal portrayed the relationship between the serial killer and Will Graham, Clarice will showcase many of the other remaining characters.

The situation regarding the characters is confusing both to viewers and the staff behind Clarice as well.

Executive Producer Adam Kurtzman told Entertainment Weekly that Hannibal can't be part of the show but that the writers want to tell the story beyond that hurdle.

"I'm still trying to understand how the rights are divided. But it's been quite liberating because we have no interest in writing about Hannibal — not because we didn't love the films and the show, but because it was done so well by so many people that it didn't feel fresh for us," he shared.

Hannibal Lecter might be one of the scarier characters in recent history, but Clarice will still be able to bring the creep factor. 

Though Hannibal Lecter is off the table for the Clarice crew, the other notorious serial killer from The Silence of the Lambs will be featured. Clarice interviewed Hannibal in the first place while the FBI was hunting Buffalo Bill (who was played by Monk actor Ted Levine in the movie). He was murdering women in order to skin them to make suits for himself.

While the character died at the end of the film, he'll be present in flashbacks in Clarice. 

Buffalo Bill will be played by Simon Northwood in the CBS series, and he's credited for three episodes according to IMDb. 

Clarice airs on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on CBS.