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WIRE Buzz: Mads Mikkelsen open to concluding Hannibal; Netflix ups price for two plans; Black Box podcast
It seems that Mads Mikkelsen's taste for human flesh hasn't been satiated quite yet.
Speaking with Empire for the magazine's December issue, the actor said he'd be open to returning for another season of Hannibal in order to tie up the story a little tighter. "I would love to see a Season 4. I would like to wrap it up," he admitted. "If Bryan Fuller knew that was the last one, he would have wrapped it up differently. And it's appropriate. We could easily skip the story to four years later. We can justify it."
Based on the infamous Hannibal Lecter character created by Thomas Harris, the TV show ran on NBC for a total of 39 episodes across three seasons before it was canceled in 2015. Fans have since been holding out hope for some kind of revival. Drawing mainly upon 1981's Red Dragon for inspiration, the series chronicled Dr. Lecter's interactions with the serial killer hunting FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).
"I've been blessed with villain characters who are really cool," Mikkelsen added during his Empire chat, also discussing his role as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. "Obviously, Hannibal is fantastic, and I loved the Bond film I was in. They're human beings. It's like, 'Yes, he's a villain, but he has a point.' And Hannibal has more than one point, right?"
CBS and Alex Kurtzman will yet again dive into Harris' literary playground for an upcoming television project centered around FBI agent Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs.
Stranger Things and Lucifer just got a little more expensive to watch.
Per a new report from Variety, at-home viewers will soon need to shell out $13.99 a month for Netflix's Standard two-stream HD option in the U.S. That's not too crazy, only an 8% increase from the current $12.99 price. However, the Premium tier, which allows you to use Netflix from four different screens at once, is going up by two bucks, from $15.99 to $17.99. The most basic plan (one screen at a time) will remain at $8.99 a month.
"Current subscribers will see the new pricing in the coming weeks with the start of their next billing cycle, while new subscribers who sign up as of Oct. 29 will pay the higher rates," writes Variety.
The last time the company raised it prices was in the first quarter of last year.
Earlier this month, Netflix upped the price of its two-stream plan in Canada from $14 to $15. The company has not yet commented on when (or whether) it plans to hike prices in other markets.
"We do an assessment: Do we believe that we’re really delivering more value to members? A North Star we hold close to our heart in this whole process is we think that we are just incredible entertainment value — and we very much want to remain an incredible value as we continue to improve the service and grow," COO and chief product officer Greg Peters reportedly said during an earnings-related interview with Variety last week.
Black Box, an upcoming podcast that will pay homage to the '80s-era adventure films directed by Steven Spielberg, just announced its official cast. Per Deadline, Joel McHale (Community), Michael Cimino (Love, Victor), Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Chosen Jacobs (It), and Jacob Bertrand (Cobra Kai) are all lending their voices to the sci-fi project. In terms of story, the plot revolves around four teenagers (Cimino, Bassenger, Jacobs, and Bertrand) who stumble across the wreckage of a crashed time machine, which places them in the center of a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the very fabric of time itself. McHale is playing a scientist whose own ego and ambition turned him into a villain.
Hailing from Reverb Podcasts and Soundproof Media, the podcast is written and directed by Brian Siegele. Recording took place over the summer, one of the first audio productions to have the entire cast in the studio at the same time. Rigorous testing and other health safety guidelines were implemented to prevent a spread of the novel coronavirus.
"We wanted the performers to play off each other in a way that remote recording doesn’t allow, but also ensure a risk-free working space," Siegele said in a statement to Deadline. "We are thankful to have been able to accomplish this with guidance from SAG-AFTRA and coordination from our incredible cast."
Production is still taking place, with even more casting news to be announced in the near future. The first season (consisting of eight episodes) will debut sometime next year. Siegele and Chase Kinser are producing on behalf of Reverb and Soundproof.
(NBC and SYFY WIRE are both owned by NBCUniversal)
