Clarice Starling Series Lands at CBS With Big Commitment
CBS has given a series commitment to a drama that will follow Clarice Starling after the events of “The Silence of the Lambs,” Variety has learned.
Titled “Clarice,” the series hails from writers and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. Set in 1993, a year after the events of “,” the show is a deep dive into the untold personal story of Starling as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.
“After more than 20 years of silence, we’re privileged to give voice to one of America’s most enduring heroes – Clarice Starling,” said Kurtzman and Lumet. “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.”
Kurtzman will executive produce under his Secret Hideout banner, which is currently under a five-year deal at Television Studios. Heather Kadin of Secrety Hideout will also executive produce with Aaron Baiers co-executive producing. MGM And CBS Television Studios will serve as the studios.
In addition to “Clarice,” Kurtzman and Lumet are currently prepping a series adaptation of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” for streaming service CBS All Access.
The character of Starling originated in the novel “The Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris, which was subsequently adapted into the film of the same name in 1991. Jodie Foster played Starling in that film, for which she won the best actress Oscar — one of five such statuettes the film took home, including best picture. The character then appeared in Harris’ follow up novel “Hannibal,” which was adapted into a film in 2001 with Julianne Moore taking over the role from Foster.
This marks the second time such a TV series has been in the works, with Lifetime originally developing their own “Clarice” back in 2012 with MGM, though that project did not move forward. Bryan Fuller also previously stated that if his NBC series “Hannibal” had run long enough, it would have likely featured the character.
Lumet wrote the screenplay for the critically-acclaimed film “Rachel Getting Married.” She is currently an executive producer on “Discovery” and a consulting producer on “Picard” in addition to co-writing and co-showrunning “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”
Kurtzman and Secret Hideout currently oversee the expanding “Star Trek” TV universe through their deal with CBS TV Studios. At All Access, Season 3 of “Star Trek: Discovery” is due out this year, while Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise his iconic role in the upcoming series “Star Trek: Picard.” The animated series “Star Trek: Lower Decks” is also set to debut this year, with several other projects in the works. Kurtzman is also an executive producer on the “Hawaii Five-O reboot” at CBS.
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Source: variety.com