When you say goodbye to a beloved television series, you're not only saying goodbye to the intricate plot and the compelling characters — you're also bidding farewell to a cast of talented actors that you've come to know and love over the course of several years, through thick and thin, triumph and defeat, infuriating cliffhangers and mind-boggling twists. So when NBC's cult favorite serial killer drama Hannibal has its series finale Saturday night, Fannibals the world over are likely to wonder: Where will we be able to see Hannibal stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen next?
In a business as fickle as Hollywood, you never know when your favorite actor is going to find work again; multiple actors from the same popular show can go on to varying degrees of success afterwards. (While Fringe leads John Noble and Joshua Jackson are currently starring on CBS's Elementary and Showtime's The Affair, respectively, their co-star Anna Torv hasn't appeared in a single American television show or major feature film since the series ended two years ago.) So, it's natural to feel anxious about the fates of a cherished cast. But, in the case of Dancy and Mikkelsen, Fannibals have absolutely nothing to worry about. In fact, both men have incredibly exciting projects lined up post-Hannibal.
The man who portrayed unstable FBI profiler Will Graham will be remaining on the small screen... although you may have to move from your couch to your desk to find him. Next fall, Hugh Dancy will be starring in a Hulu original drama called The Way. The online streaming service has been branching farther into original programming lately, supplementing their animated series (The Awesomes) and comedies (The Hotwives, Difficult People) with continuations of cancelled programs ( The Mindy Project ) and new dramas (including an adaptation of Stephen King's 11/22/63 starring James Franco).
In a reversal of his role in the 2011 drama Martha Marcy May Marlene, in which he helped care for a young woman who had escaped from a dangerous cult, Dancy will star in The Way as Cal Roberts, the charismatic leader of a Scientology-esque cult. The rest of the main cast will be rounded out by Michelle Monaghan (True Detective) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) as cult member Sarah and her doubting husband Eddie. The series is executive produced by Jason Katims, who also produced such acclaimed series as Friday Night Lights, Parenthood (which he also created), and About A Boy. Curiously, Dancy isn't the only one leaving NBC behind for Hulu; this will also be the first time Katims hasn't worked at the Peacock network in nine years, his previous three shows having all been broadcast by NBC.
The man who portrayed psychotic serial killing cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter will be making the transition to the big screen... and to a galaxy far, far away. At their biannual D23 Expo in Anaheim earlier this month, Disney announced that Mads Mikkelsen would be among the many exciting cast additions to their 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story . Mikkelsen will be appearing along Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything) in the lead role, as well as Forest Whitaker (The Last King Of Scotland), Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Diego Luna (Y tu mamá también), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), and Donnie Yen (Blade II).
Rogue One is the first in a series of anthology films that will be released in the off-years between Episodes VII-IX, existing outside the chronology of the main trilogy. While Rogue One will focus on the heist to steal the Death Star schematics which preceded the action of A New Hope, the second anthology film will focus on a young Han Solo, and the third will reportedly focus on the backstory of bounty hunter Boba Fett. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) from a screenplay by Chris Weitz (About A Boy), and will be the first Star Wars film to not feature Jedi. (Does that mean no Sith, either?) At the very least, we know that least Mikkelsen won't be portraying one of the warriors of the Dark Side: according to the actor, he's not even playing a villain! "My character is actually not a bad guy," Mikkelsen has said, surprising everyone. He does assure that it will be "a very important role," however.
As if one major Disney franchise weren't enough for Mikkelsen, news broke on Thursday that the actor is in talks to join the cast of Doctor Strange , the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Captain America: Civil War. If he signs on, Mikkelsen will be joining Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular superhero, Tilda Swinton as his mentor The Ancient One, and possibly Rachel McAdams in an undisclosed role. The Hannibal actor is in consideration for one of the movie's two villains — the other being Baron Mordo, played by 12 Years A Slave's David Oyelowo. Who exactly would Mikkelsen be playing? His character's identity is still a secret, but it's likely that it would be Mordo's overlord and Doctor Strange's arch-nemesis, Dormammu.
Dancy and Mikkelsen aren't the only ones keeping busy post-Hannibal. Laurence Fishburne (Jack Crawford) will continue recurring on and producing ABC's black-ish, and he'll also reprise his role as Perry White in next year's Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice . Gillian Anderson (Bedelia du Maurier) will reprise her defining role as Agent Dana Scully in FOX's resurrection of The X-Files , and will also return in the third and final season of her BBC/Netflix drama The Fall . Gina Torres (Bella Crawford) just wrapped the fifth season of the USA drama Suits, on which she stars. Anna Chlumsky (Miriam Lass) will compete for an Emmy next month for her supporting role in the HBO comedy Veep. Tao Okamoto (Chiyoh) will appear alongside Fishburne in Batman V Superman as Lex Luthor's personal bodyguard, Mercy Graves. Richard Armitage (Francis Dolarhyde) will cameo in an undisclosed role in next year's Tim Burton sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass. Rutina Wesley (Reba McClane) just landed a recurring role on Season 5 of The CW's Arrow as Liza Warner, aka Lady Cop. And Hannibal's creator, Bryan Fuller, is in the process of developing an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods for Starz.
But, before we get too excited about all these amazing projects the cast and crew have lined up next, let's focus on the sole remaining hour of the sadly short-lived series we have left to us. The Season 3 — and series — finale of Hannibal, "The Wrath Of The Lamb," airs this Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET. (And, be sure to check here before you tune in to find out which local NBC affiliates will be preempting the episode for football. #Rude.)
Images: Brooke Palmer (3), Elisabeth Caren/NBC
