A wise man once told Clarice Starling, “the world is more interesting with you in it,” and the folks at CBS agree, as the network is moving forward itsSilence of the Lambssequel, having just cast its titular FBI agent.
Pretty Little LiarsactressRebecca Breedswill lead the CBS seriesw, which takes place in the aftermath of the events seen inJonathan Demme’s 1991 masterpieceThe Silence of the Lambs.Jodie Fosteroriginated the character in that Oscar-winning film – the last to ‘sweep’ the Academy Awards – andJulianne Mooreinherited the role inRidley Scott’s 2001 sequelHannibal. Since then, the character has been on ice, which is better than being on Dr. Lecter’s dinner plate, I suppose.
This newClariceseries will follow Starling as the brilliant yet vulnerable agent hunts down new serial killers and sexual predators, all while navigating the political world of Washington D.C. I suppose that means CBS will be casting a new Jack Crawford, and possibly a new Lecter, though I don’t have that confirmed. Since the character is on the lam at the end ofLambs(pun intended), Clarice won’t be able to call on his expertise like before, though he could always initiate contact if he wanted.
Breeds has some big shoes to fill. I’ve never heard of her before, and yet she’s poised to follow in the footsteps of Oscar winners like Foster and Moore. That’s no easy feat, but the mere fact that I’m writing up CBS casting news suggests that this series could bring new eyeballs to the network. Clarice Starling is one of the greatest characters in all of cinema, male or female, so there’s plenty for an actress to mine, including the character’s challenging childhood and family secrets that have been a burden her entire life. The question for fans is whether CBS can create a show worthy of the character, one that rises above the network’s tried-and-true formula for crime procedurals.
Clarice hails from MGM and CBS Television Studios as well as writersAlex KurtzmanandJenny Lumet, who will also executive produce along with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout partnerHeather Kadin.Aaron Baierswill serve as a co-executive producer on the project, which received a series commitment from CBS back in January.
In addition toPretty Little Liars, Breeds has also recurred onThe Originals, while her recent TV credits includeThe CodeandThe Brave. She also starred on the Australian showHome and Awaythat has birthed a galaxy of Hollywood stars. Breeds is represented by UTA, Untitled Entertainment, and Mark Morrissey Management in Australia.
We recently had our young social media managerDorian ParkswatchThe Silence of the Lambsfor the first time, soclick hereto watch his video review, which comes at the film from a unique perspective – that of a millennial. Just make sure to chug a whole bottle of Chianti first!
