Who Should Take Her Role on 'Hannibal'?

Before NBC and showrunner Bryan Fuller adapted Hannibal into the amazing, terrifying, beautifully bloody TV series we've come to know and love, the relationship most people thought of upon hearing the name Lecter was that of the doctor and Clarice Starling. Now that we know for sure the series will be back for a Season 3, it's time to take a moment and discuss whether we'll ever hear Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal utter those three famous words: "Good evening, Clarice."

In Fuller's seven-season arc, the events of the novel Red Dragon, which sees Hannibal in prison and Will Graham married, would take place in Season 4, while Clarice Starling would be introduced in Season 5, which would cover The Silence of the Lambs.

Here's the catch: The rights to the characters in The Silence of the Lambs belong to MGM, and Fuller has yet to acquire them — and isn't 100 percent sure he'll be able to. He's said that if he can't, he would still adapt the novel but change things around enough that he's not infringing on copyrights, but that would mean calling any of his female protagonists "Clarice Starling" is out of the question.

But, for the sake of argument, let's say he does get the rights, and Season 4 closes out with Hannibal receiving a visitor, and — just off the top of my head — the last thing we see is a close-up of the imprisoned doctor greeting an unseen Clarice and smiling. Who would be able to take the role Jodie Foster made so iconic and make it her own? We have a few ideas.

Former Feisty Doctor Who Companion Karen Gillan

This, of course, is if Fuller decides to go the pale redhead route. Gillan proved she could handle comedy and drama in Doctor Who and horror in Oculus — plus, something tells me Gillan's upcoming ABC show Selfie isn't going to be taking up her time for much longer...

Orphan Black Jill-of-All Trades Tatiana Maslany

I'm torn on this one because I love Orphan Black and don't want to see it end anytime soon, but I think given the show's 10-episode seasons and Hannibal's 13-episode seasons we can make this work. Maslany has already proven that she can play literally any part — can someone PLEASE give this woman an Emmy already? — and would absolutely kill as Clarice. ( Game of Thrones ' Emilia Clarke might do if Maslany is unavailable.)

Speaking of Game of Thrones, How About Slave-Turned-Badass Nathalie Emmanuel?

I personally love her as Daeny's advisor on Game of Thrones (and I'm not alone, considering she was made a series regular for Season 5) and would love to see her (and her side eye) in more roles.

Images: Orion Pictures; BBC America (2); HBO; Tumblr/HardLifeInStGermain