**Updated with digital versions and new photos** We have our first look at the new Hannibal Lecter and the main cast of the Hannibal TV series. Taking on the role of the infamous cannibal in the new NBC series is Casino Royale's Mad Mikkelsen.

The story is set before the events of Silence of the Lambs and also stars Hugh Dancy as FBI Agent Will Graham, along with Laurence Fishburne as FBI Agent Jack Crawford, who is in charge of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI and will eventually be given the job of tracking down Hannibal Lecter.

The series has skipped the usual pilot process and NBC has ordered 13 episodes for the first season. You can take a look at the photos below and we also have a description of the first episode's story via Moviehole:

(Minor Spoilers) "Someone is out there abducting college girls. The victims’ bodies have never been found, so there’s some hope (at least until the authorities discover the reason these girls bodies have never been found is because someone’s eaten them for breakfast) that all or some of the eight may be found alive.

Will Graham, now a teacher because of some complex mental issues (bordering on aspergers), is coaxed back into the field by the head of the behavioral science unit, Jack Crawford. Since it’s been eight months that this abductor/killer has been on the loose, and he’s just grabbed his latest victim, the feds are desperate to catch the guy.

Though Crawford’s a little worried that Graham – who has social anxieties and then some – might struggle here and there on the job, he needs his brilliance to find the killer. Graham, being able to empathize with screw loose people, is someone who can sniff out a bad guy’s motivation fairly quickly.

In this case though, Graham needs assistance – someone who can read the ‘Cannibals’ mind even better than he can. The feds recruit Dr Hannibal Lecter, a loopy but brilliant doc, who joins the former and Crawford on the case. Lecter sees it not so much as a chance to do something good for the community (well, anyone that knows Hannibal Lecter knows that he’s got to be involved in the case for a start, right!?), but an opportunity to play with the equally unstable Graham."

Source: EW
  • Jonathan James
    About the Author - Jonathan James

    After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.

    As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.