The Silence of the Lambs

After the commercial disappointment of Manhunter in 1986, producers Dino and Martha De Laurentiis were hesitant to pursue another adaptation of Thomas Harris’s work. However, when The Silence of the Lambs was published in 1988, Gene Hackman initially optioned the rights with intentions to direct and star as Hannibal Lecter. When Hackman dropped out, Jonathan Demme took the helm, casting Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling despite initial resistance from the studio. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue the Hannibal Lecter series with a conversation about The Silence of the Lambs.

We examine how this film elevates the basic structure established in Manhunter to create —Hold on there! This is currently only available for members. It’ll be available to everyone else soon, but why not become a member so you can listen to it now? We’d love it if you became a member to support our show, but you’d love it because of everything you get. We have monthly member bonus episodes that only members can access. You also get access to members-only Discord channels, and early ad-free releases for every episode. Plus, you get to vote on the movies we discuss in our members only episodes! What can we say? It pays to be a member. Learn more about supporting The Next Reel film podcast through your own membership — visit TruStory FM.