Sigh.... So, here we go. We're talking about Universal... the same great minds that shelved ILM's FRANKENSTEIN and passed on Del Toro's HELLBOY. The genius studio that had no idea how to sell... well, much of anything really. And from the looks of this internal memo, Bregalad was good enough to read me quite a bit of it from that wonderful commissary, his only interuptions being the depositing of additional quarters. These geniuses took a look at the HANNIBAL script and deduced that Clarice is a supporting character and that Hannibal was the lead. WOW! Imagine that?!?! Clarice IS the supporting character. Hannibal IS the lead character. WHY? Because Thomas Harris titled the book..... wait for it..... H-A-N-N-I-B-A-L.... that spells, HANNIBAL. Meaning that HANNIBAL is the subject of the book. Ie... it's his story.
The point of this story is an exploration of EVIL... It's about the Devil having center stage. For two books and two movies, Hannibal Lecter has been waiting in the dugout... behind the closed doors, the bars, the guards. He was relegated to the sidelines.
NO MORE. In this film, Hannibal Lecter is Unleashed. All Clarice is, is a hobby of Lecter's. A plaything. Something he does to pass the time. He is in control. Not her. He is writing the novel, not her. Her existence, her importance is about him... Everything revolves around Lecter, he's at the center and at the birth of all the evil we see in this world. Cut out some of the Italy parts. INSANITY! Step her part up, I suppose these EXECUTIVES, would like more QUID PRO QUO... Hey... how about putting him on the dolly again with a facemask... that worked in the first film? Oh wait... I know, maybe if he was helping her to solve another case... Oh yeah... that'd be great.
My advice to Universal would be to stay the hell out of Ridley Scott's way with this film. Don't tinker with a script that got it right. Clarice and everyone else IS a supporting character. Hannibal Lecter has ALWAYS been the star of this series from Thomas Harris. The whole point is to be fascinated by his evil, his whims, his seemingly superhuman abilities. His delicious evil. We relish in it. He's the star, that's the reason why Foster not being a part of this film isn't a terrible loss.... it's not her movie. Don't fuck with Lecter! Here's the scoop about the Universal Internal Memo...
Greetings Harry,
Bregalad here.
Something quite odd happened today at the Universal Commissary. As the unseasonal rain spattered the front patio-glass and I sat quietly eating my pasta, this sweet little Who dressed in his wet, soppy Who-costume waddled over to my table and gave me a small document about 'HANNIBAL'. Without a word, he retreated, and was lost in the squall.
Not questioning a gift from the Gods of Whoville, I quickly tore through this revealing document. I discovered some of the budgetary concerns Universal has with 'HANNIBAL', and also some of their primary story concerns.
They've put the budget squarely at $85.5 million, and are already worried that Ridley Scott will go over-budget. Here is their exact language: "A primary risk is that the director's vision may require more money than what was budgeted. Other risks include the complexity of shooting in Italy and visual effects enhancements."
Now we have an inkling as to what they think of our masterful Director. Hmmm...
The big eye-opener is Uni's stand on the STORY. We already knew that Jodie Foster wanted the entire thing re-written for her Clarice character to have more substantive presence (and she ultimately bowed out). Now this may indicate what she was going on about. Check out what the Studio's "Story Dept." had to say:
"By capitalizing on the book's strengths and harnessing the far-flung story into a manageable length, this is an intelligent and largely faithful adaptation. There is still a good deal of work to be done in terms of portraying Clarice in more heroic light, involving her more in the action and making this more clearly HER movie. Additional efforts are also needed in terms of further exploration of the Clarice/Lecter relationship and upping the suspense for a scarier movie.
In the character of Hannibal Lecter we not only have a figure of pop-culture myth, but also a neo-classic horror archetype as seductive and indelible as Dracula. While this script has preserved his deliciously diabolical characterization, it is just as critical to remember the first movie's attraction stemmed just as much from the spellbinding sessions between him and Clarice as her pursuit of Buffalo Bill. With that in mind, while the story is improved, many of the larger issues raised in previous notes still persist, especially in regards to portraying a more heroic Clarice and involving her more in the story, condensing the Italy passages and shaping a scarier movie."
Evidently the power-suits at Uni continue to tamper with the story. They want to give it more "scare" dynamics and raise up Clarice from what could be considered a supporting role to a recognizable lead heroine.
Whether this bodes well for the project I couldn't guess, but it sounds similar to Peter Jackson's LOTR: giving the Arwen character a more "heroic presence" and expanded scenes.
The projected release date for 'HANNIBAL' is April 2001, with no sneak previews in any major markets. But they've already considered the possible opportunity of a 3rd installment in the series.
Hope this is of interest to you... Just goes to show, whenever there's a freak rain-storm in L.A., you never know what will fall into your lap.
Hastily,
Bregalad
