Pour yourself a glass of a nice Chianti because The Silence of the Lambs is coming back to the silver screen. CBS has confirmed its plans for a new series that will follow FBI agent Clarice Starling one year after the events of the original film.
Suitably titled Clarice, the show – created by executive producer Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek) and writer Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) – will be set in 1993 and will be a deep dive into the untold story of Starling as she returns to her job of pursuing serial murderers and sexual predators.
“After more than 20 years of silence, we’re privileged to give voice to one of America’s most enduring heroes – Clarice Starling,” Kurtzman and Lumet told Variety. “Clarice’s bravery and complexity have always lit the way, even as her personal story remained in the dark. But hers is the very story we need today: her struggle, her resilience, her victory. Her time is now, and always.”
Starling’s character originated in Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel, The Silence of the Lambs, before being played by Jodie Foster in the renowned 1991 film adaptation, a role that saw her take home the Oscar for best actress. The character also appeared in Harris’ follow-up novel, Hannibal and its 2001 film adaptation, though Starling was instead portrayed by Julianne Moore.
CBS’ announcement marks the second time a Starling-focused show has been in the works, with Lifetime attempting to develop their own series back in 2012.
Kurtzman and Lumet are also working on a series follow-up to David Bowie’s 1976 film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, which will focus on an alien who lands on earth at a turning point for human evolution.
In April last year, Dazed investigated what happened to Q Lazzarus, the cult 80s singer whose track “Goodbye Horses” soundtracked one of The Silence of the Lambs’ most iconic scenes – where Buffalo Bill is applying make-up in women’s clothes and asking the mirror: “Would you fuck me? I’d fuck me. I’d fuck me so hard.”
There’s no word yet on Clarice’s casting, production, or a release date.
