Anthony Hopkins ... Dr. Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter
Edward Norton ... Will Graham
Ralph Fiennes ... Francis Dolarhyde
Harvey Keitel ... F.B.I. Section Chief Jack Crawford
Emily Watson ... Reba McClane
Philip Seymour Hoffman ... Freddy Lounds
Mary-Louise Parker ... Molly Graham
Anthony Heald ... Dr. Frederick Chilton
Frank Bruynbroek
Barbara Kerr Condon ... Grandmother Dolarhyde
Cliff Dorfman ... Officer Ovard
Ken Leung ... Lloyd Bowman
Conrad E. Palmisano ... Deputy
Tom Verica ... Mr. Leeds
Behind the camera:
Director: Brett Ratner
Producers:
Dino De Laurentis, Martha De Laurentis, Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Ted Tally
Plot:
Based on the 1981 novel Manhunter by Thomas Harris. A remake of the 1985 film from Michael Mann, and also prequel to 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Hannibal', the first book introducing Hannibal Lecter. The story of former FBI agent Will Graham, nearly killed by Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter who finds himself asking the imprisoned killer for help in solving a new serial killer.
UPDATE 1:
Reuters/Variety reports that Edward Norton ("The Score") has committed to star in "Red Dragon," an adaptation of the first Hannibal Lecter book by Thomas Harris.
The trade reports that production is set to begin at the end of November for a summer 2002 release.
Sir Anthony Hopkins will reprise his role as the good doctor, Hannibal Lecter, for the prequel. Ted Tally ("Silence of the Lambs") is penning the script, while Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour 2") will be in the director's chair.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Emily Watson ("Hilary and Jackie") is in final talks for the lead female role in "Red Dragon," the Hannibal Lecter prequel with Anthony Hopkins back, with Ed Norton co-starring and Brett Ratner directing.
Watson would play the role of Reba, the blind woman who works with 'The Tooth Fairy' at his regular day job and fall for him.
The Sunday Herald Sun in Australia reports that Jeremy Piven ("Gross Pointe Blank") showed the press at a "Serendipity" press conference a red dragon
tattoo, that he was sporting. He hinted that he was going to audition for a role in "Red Dragon," possibly for the role of the "Tooth Fairy."
"Red Dragon," the Hannibal prequel and "Manhunter" remake, has Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Hannibal Lecter, as well as Edward Norton and Emily Watson. The film will be under the helm of Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour").
Clint from Moviehole.net (http://www.moviehole.net) reports that according to WHO Magazine, Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn looks set to join the cast of Brett Ratner's "Red Dragon," the Hannibal prequel starring Anthony Hopkins and Edward Norton.
Mendelsohn, whose credits include "Vertical Limit" and "Mullet," was in Los Angeles last month, and decided to do some schmoozing - minus his regular 'grunge' look.
He ended up impressing some big name directors, notably Brett Ratner who is keen to cast him in "Red Dragon." Ratner says if he can't find a suitable part for him in the film, that he will the spread the word around Hollywood that Mendelsohn is the next big thing. Insiders are prediciting however that Ratner may have already found a role for the Aussie hopeful.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Harvey Keitel has signed to join Brett Ratner's "Red Dragon," an adaptation of the Thomas Harris' novel and remake of Michael Mann's "Manhunter." The film is a prequel to "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal."
Keitel joins Anthony Hopkins, who reprises his role as Hannibal Lecter, and Edward Norton, both of whom are already committed to the project. In addition, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mary-Louise Parker are in final negotiations to also join the project, which is scheduled to go into production in January.
Keitel will play Agent Jack Crawford, the FBI mentor to Will Graham (Norton).
'Dialling DeLaurentis' writes in with a bit of interesting news regarding "Red Dragon." Here is what he had to say:
A close, reliable source tells me that little Ms Jodie Foster might be doing a cameo for Ratner's "Red Dragon". Expect an announcement shortly on whether or not she says yay or nay. Nothing more than a hi and bye in a corridor - but Foster is open to the idea; and loves the script. Philip Seymour Hoffman is also really interested in playing the part of the photo journalist; previously played by Stephen Lang in Manhunter. I can tell you the opening to the movie is sensational, this is the busy end of Hopkin's possy - he will only be with the studio for 2 weeks work.
******
Interview from 13th Street.com with Dino De Laurentis:
Part 1: Rumor Control Central
by Smilin' Jack Ruby
Now this was just cool. I recently got the chance to speak to legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis about all things Red Dragon and ask him about the various rumors, casting choices, the future of the franchise, and what we can expect from the forthcoming Silence Of The Lambs prequel set to lens this November. Needless to say, it was a truly informative interview. Without further ado: Dino De Laurentiis.
13th St: How're ya?
Dino: Fine, you?
13th St: Very good. I wanted to ask you a few questions about Red Dragon.
Dino: Okay. Go ahead.
13th St: Starting off, there was a rumor today that the person set to do the scoring of the film is no longer Danny Elfman, but somebody else (Cliff Martinez). Has anyone been signed to write the score?
Dino: Oh, we don't know yet about the score. When we start the shooting, when we finish the cast, we will think about who can do the score. We don't know yet at the moment. We have no names in mind.
13th St: Yeah, there've been a lot of rumors circulating around.
Dino: Who?
13th St: Danny Elfman.
Dino: No, no, no. I don't know anything about that (laughs) and it's no time to talk about the composer at this moment. When the time comes, I will sit with Brett (Ratner), the director, and we'll have a nice few names and then we'll decide.
Part 2: Casting Calls
13th St: Excellent. How did you come to the decision to cast such a young man - Ed Norton - as Will Graham?
Dino: Well, Will Graham is a young guy, he's thirty-five. I think it's no problem with a great actor like Ed Norton to make up some way or to act some way, to look like he could be forty-five or fifty-five. There's no big deal about that.
13th St: What had you seen of Ed Norton's that made you want to cast him for this particular film?
Dino: Because he's a great actor. With every single character in Red Dragon, we needed a great actor. It's an acting piece. For the (other) characters, also we needed great actors. For instance, for Reba, we chose Emily Watson because she's a great actor, not because she's a name. Ed Norton is a great actor and for me the chemistry, the teaming, the combination between Ed Norton and Anthony Hopkins within the structure we have for them in the movie.
13th St: Have they spoken yet? Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Norton?
Dino: No. We have a meeting because Mr. Hopkins is not yet in Los Angeles. We are having a dinner together next week.
13th St: There's only one major role really outstanding - the role of the Tooth Fairy - any idea on the casting in that direction?
Dino: We're looking for somebody no one knows. We're seeing some new actors. We have not made a final decision, but we're going with somebody with practically a new face.
Part 3: Why Not A Hannibal Sequel?
13th St: Why Red Dragon and not a sequel to Hannibal?
Dino: Because the sequel for Hannibal is the sequel for Hannibal. What I want to show to the audience...because Hannibal as a character is a major star in the world& when I did the tour for Hannibal all around the world including Tokyo, everybody asked me, 'when did Hannibal Lecter start as a criminal?' Now, in Red Dragon we show for the first time to the audience when, where, who and the rest that makes up Hannibal Lecter. Which kind of criminal-monster he was. It, by the way, is a great story. The sequel for Hannibal we don't know yet, we're starting to think about the story.
13th St: Will Hopkins be playing Hannibal in all of Red Dragon? There was a rumor about another actor playing a "young" Hannibal Lecter.
Dino: No, no (chuckles) Anthony Hopkins is the actor playing Hannibal Lecter in every scene in the movie.
13th St: Red Dragon ties directly back into The Silence Of The Lambs...
Dino: It is the prequel of Silence Of The Lambs, correct.
13th St: Was that the reason perhaps in getting Ted Tally to write the script?
Dino: A writer doesn't usually accept because he did Silence Of The Lambs. A writer like Ted Tally accepts only what they believe they can do a good job. When I (began working on Red Dragon) I said, let's make an attempt to Ted Tally. It was lucky, because Ted Tally said to me, 'Dino, I love this book. It's the best book of all three from Tom Harris.' He said to me that he'd think about it and maybe he'd want to do it and then finally decided to do it.
13th St: Have you had any contact with Thomas Harris at all through this?
Dino: You know, we have a good relationship with Tom. He's a good friend, a great writer, a great human being. Of course, when we started to talk about - do we do Red Dragon - we had so many conversations with him. He read Ted Tally's script. He loved the script.
Part 4: Hannibal Lecter As Icon
13th St: What was the decision to go with Brett Ratner? He seemed like an unlikely choice, but he seems up to it.
Dino: It's a big choice because so many directors were interested in doing Red Dragon. We decided to go with Brett because I believe in young talent. Brett is thirty years old. In my opinion, in the future he could be like Spielberg. He's a great personality, a great talent and we always like to go with the young guy.
13th St: And what about the actual character of Hannibal that has taken on a life of its own outside of the Thomas Harris novels and the films and become a part of popular culture like a Dracula or a classic kind of figure - can you speak to that?
Dino: Well, what I have to say about that is, you know, this is a fantastic character. Like I said before, he's the main star character in the world today because he's charming, has humor, is a fantasy - and millions love this monster because he kills only people that the audience would like to see killed.
13th St: What can you tell us about the "feel" or "tone" of Red Dragon? Is it going to be Gothic like Hannibal or more like The Silence Of The Lambs?
Dino: More like Silence Of The Lambs, yeah.
13th St: As a final question, do you know if Thomas Harris is right now working on the novel sequel to Hannibal?
Dino: Tom Harris is working, at the moment, on a new story, a new book, that has nothing to do with Hannibal.
13th St: Nothing at all?
Dino: No.
13th St: I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today.
Dino: Thank you.
And there you go, a whole bunch of new information on Red Dragon straight from the producer's mouth.
UPDATE 2:
The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Ralph Fiennes has nabbed the lead role as the Red Dragon in "Red Dragon," the film based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name. "Red Dragon" is the first book in the Hannibal Lecter series, which is followed by "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal."
Fiennes joins Ed Norton, who plays FBI agent Will Graham, Harvey Keitel as Jack Crawford, Emily Watson, and Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
The film will be directed by Brett Ratner and is based on a script by Ted Tally ("Silence of the Lambs.")
UPDATE 3:
Universal Pictures, the Dino De Laurentiis Company and Director Brett Ratner To Begin Filming Thomas Harris' 'Red Dragon' on January 7
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Dec. 18 -- Universal Pictures, the Dino De Laurentiis Company and director Brett Ratner (``Rush Hour,'' ``Rush Hour 2'') have assembled a highly distinguished cast for the film adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon, which is scheduled to begin production in Los Angeles on Monday, January 7.
Joining Anthony Hopkins, who once again reprises his Academy AwardŽ winning role as Hannibal Lecter, are two-time OscarŽ nominees Edward Norton (``Primal Fear,'' ``American History X''), Ralph Fiennes (``Schindler's List,'' ``The English Patient'') and Emily Watson (``Breaking the Waves,'' ``Hilary and Jackie''), as well as OscarŽ nominee Harvey Keitel (``Bugsy''), Tony Award winner Mary Louise Parker (``Proof'') and Tony nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman (``True West'').
The film's producers are Dino De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis, who scored earlier this year with the blockbuster screen version of ``Hannibal,'' which Universal developed, supervised in production and released internationally. Ted Tally, who won an OscarŽ for his screenplay for ``The Silence of The Lambs,'' has adapted Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon, which depicts events that preceded those chronicled in the author's later novels, The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999).
In ``Red Dragon,'' Norton stars as ex-FBI agent Will Graham, an expert investigator who quit the Bureau after almost losing his life in the process of capturing the elusive serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
Years later, after a series of particularly grisly murders, Graham reluctantly agrees to come out of retirement and assist in the case. But he soon realizes that the best way to catch this killer, known as the Tooth Fairy, is to find a way to get inside the killer's mind. And the closest thing to that would be to probe the mind of another killer who is equally brilliant and equally twisted. For Graham, that means confronting his past and facing his former nemesis, the now-incarcerated Lecter.
Director Brett Ratner's key behind-the-camera collaborators were all part of his team on last year's hit comedy ``The Family Man.'' They include director of photography Dante Spinotti (``Wonder Boys,'' ``L.A. Confidential''), production designer Kristi Zea (``Goodfellas,'' ``The Silence of the Lambs''), costume designer Betsy Heimann (``Vanilla Sky,'' ``Out of Sight'') and editor Mark Helfrich (``Rush Hour 2,'' ``Scary Movie'').
Universal Pictures is a unit of Universal Studios ( www.universalstudios.com ), a part of CANAL +, the TV and Film division of Vivendi Universal, a new global leader in media and communications.
UPDATE 4:
From: Aintitcoolnews.com Ratner on the truth to the rumor about effects crews using CgI to de-age Anthony Hopkins: "Possibly.
He [Anthony] has lost twenty pounds, so he's in the shape he was in when he filmed SILENCE. We'll mostly be using lighting effects to make him look younger." Ratner also said that
the same cell was being used from SILENCE. He'll be making the film in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock, where less is more. Unlike HANNIBAL, there "won't
be a lot of gore" in RED DRAGON. A new actor for Red Dragon! Hi Nick Branch here, In London last night the BBC showed a New Years Eve show and one of the
guests was Vinnie Jones. He was on the show talking about his new film 'Mean Machine' (Remake of the Burt Reynolds film). He mentioned to the host he has
been trying for parts in other US films and tried for a part in the movie 'Red Dragon'. He went for an American part, however his accent was so bad,
they have changed the part to an English bloke. Just thought I'd spread the word
UPDATE 5:
Fans of the Thomas Harris Hannibal Lecter novel series may be relieved to know that Anthony Hopkins will not be altered to look younger in
this prequel to "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal."
Entertainment Weekly reports that Brett Ratner feels confident in doing a prequel with an aging Hopkins. "I think audiences are pretty
forgiving, "Ratner says. "Maybe at first glance you're like, 'oh no, he doesn't look younger.' But then hopefully you're immersed in the drama
of the film."
The film will show several sequences in which Lecter was once a free man. Author Thomas Harris himself came up with the idea to start the
new movie by showing Lecter as a free man before anyone knew he was a serial killer. In a scene hinted at in ''Silence of the Lambs,'' Lecter
will serve a (gulp) gourmet dinner to a group of guests "unfamiliar with his culinary predilections."
''Hannibal Lecter in this movie is much more still, much more tense, much more angry.... He is Manson. He's a crazy f---," says
Ratner.
"Red Dragon" co-stars Edward Norton and Emily Watson, and is set to be released this fall.
UPDATE 6:
Aint It Cool News has put out the 1st two pictures from Red Dragon. There's also a BIG
spoiler for those who want to know the ending!
UPDATE
7:
Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock were recently guests on The View and talking about thier new movie together, Bad Company. Finally they talked about Red Dragon and the Hannibal Lecter
franchise. When someone asked if this would be the last film featuring Hopkins as Lecter, Hopkins surprisingly said yes, that he would keep it a trilogy. I guess that means no Hannibal 4, in which rumors were flying around saying he would do another one, in which the fourth one would be the last. I guess Hopkins is done playing Hannibal Lecter, which might give the film a little boost if Red Dragon is the last Lecter film.
AOL Movies and Moviefone.com to Debut Footage from Highly Anticipated Red Dragon
Never-Before-Seen Clips from the New Universal Pictures Film Can Be Seen First at AOL Keyword: First View and Moviefone.com
America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company has announced that exclusive clips from the highly anticipated film Red Dragon will be available for viewing on AOL Movies and Moviefone.com. The first of the two exclusive clips will appear on Thursday, September 12 starting at 10 a.m. EST. The second clip will be available two weeks later, on Thursday, September 26.
Red Dragon is based on Thomas Harris' 1981 novel, which first introduced the serial killer Hannibal Lecter character, later immortalized in his subsequent best-sellers The Silence of The Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999). Red Dragon will be released in theaters on October 4.
"Red Dragon is one of the most anticipated movie events of this year, and we are thrilled to offer moviegoers the very first look at footage from the film," said Kevin Conroy, SVP and General Manager, AOL Entertainment. "This is a great kick-off for our first AOL Movies First View. Just as AOL Music provides music fans with exclusive advance access to the hottest music videos, we will now provide moviegoers with a destination where they can be the first to view clips from the biggest upcoming movie releases."
The first clip to premiere, "No One is Safe Around You," is an exchange between Anthony Hopkins ("Hannibal Lecter") and Edward Norton ("Will Graham"). Both exclusive clips can be accessed at AOL Keyword: First View and via Moviefone.com. Beginning September 12, additional movie features can be found at AOL Keyword: Red Dragon, including the trailer, photos, message boards, polls, links to the official movie site and the chance to submit a question for Anthony Hopkins and other cast members of Red Dragon.
AOL First View is a popular new feature that gives AOL members and entertainment fans the chance to see new music videos and movie clips before they can be seen anywhere else. Fans can access exclusive First View debuts on AOL and the AOL High Speed Broadband service at AOL Keyword: First View and via AOL's Web Properties such as Netscape, CompuServe and Moviefone.com.
About Red Dragon
Universal Pictures and Dino De Laurentiis present in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Red Dragon, based on Thomas Harris' 1981 novel, which first introduced the character of serial killer Hannibal Lecter, later immortalized in his subsequent best-sellers The Silence of The Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999).
Director Brett Ratner, fresh from his smash success with Rush Hour 2, teams with producers Dino De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis, who scored last year with the blockbuster screen version of Hannibal, and screenwriter Ted Tally, who won an OscarŽ for his screenplay for The Silence of The Lambs.
OscarŽ nominee Edward Norton stars as ex-FBI agent Will Graham, an expert investigator who quit the Bureau after almost losing his life in the process of capturing the elusive Dr. Lecter, played again by Academy AwardŽ winner Anthony Hopkins.
Years later, after a series of particularly grisly murders, Graham reluctantly agrees to come out of retirement and assist in the case. But he soon realizes that the best way to catch this killer, known as the Tooth Fairy, is to find a way to get inside the killer's mind. And the closest thing to that would be to probe the mind of another killer who is equally brilliant and equally twisted. For Graham, that means confronting his past and facing his former nemesis, the now-incarcerated Lecter. OscarŽ nominee Ralph Fiennes plays Francis Dolarhyde.
