First Look At Gillian Anderson On HANNIBAL

Stage and screen regular Gillian Anderson appears in the new trailer for NBC's gruesome new thriller series HANNIBAL. Anderson joins fellow Broadway/Hollywood crossover stars Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne on the grisly Thursday night horror-fest.

Of special note to theatre fans, upcoming guest stars on the series also include Raul Esparza, Molly Shannon and Ellen Greene.

NBC's Hannibal TV series follows Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and his interactions with confidant and mentor Hannibal Lector (Mads Mikkelsen) and takes place a few years prior to the events in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, largely focused on the Red Dragon-era years when Lector worked alongside the FBI to track the most dangerous and violent serial killers.

Esparza will portray the psychiatric institute's crooked quack of a captain, Dr. Chilton, in a starry supporting cast that also includes Fisburne as Will Graham's tough-taking boss Jack Crawford and Anderson as Dr. Lector's psychiatrist, a role not represented in the Thomas Harris novels.

HANNIBAL was created by PUSHING DAISIES mastermind Bryan Fuller and is rumoroed to feature some other DAISIES collaborators besides Esparza, as well, with roles for Ellen Greene and Molly Shannon, though their participation has not been confirmed.

Anderson previously appeared onstage in MTC's ABSENT FRIENDS in addition to starring in Christopher Hampton's THE PHILANTHROPIST at the Long Wharf Theatre in the 1990s. More recently, Anderson has appeared in the West End, headlining a Donmar Warehouse revival of A DOLL'S HOUSE in addition to performing in the original casts of WHAT THE NIGHT IS FOR and THE SWEETEST SWING IN BASEBALL since 2003.

Check out the new trailer for Hannibal below: