Hannibal Lecter series gets full season order from NBC

US network NBC has given Bryan Fuller’s upcoming TV series about Hannibal Lecter a full 13-episode order ahead of it entering production.

The one-hour drama series, Hannibal, will focus on psychiatrist Lecter and one if his patients, Will Graham, a young FBI criminal profiler who is haunted by his ability to empathise with serial killers. After a particularly grueling case Graham finds himself assigned to the care of Lecter, who, unbeknown to him, has a particular insight into the crimes he is investigating. The cat and mouse dynamic builds as the relationship between the two develops.

Lecter and Graham have yet to be cast. It will be written and executive produced by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) and Martha De Laurentiis, producer of the Red Dragon, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising movies, will also exec produce.

The US network has committed to full seasons to a handful of drama series before and since Bob Greenblatt joined as chairman, NBC Entertainment, in January 2011 it has ordered The Firm straight to series.

The high-profile series is one of the first from Gaumont International Television (GIT), the TV division of French film studio Gaumont. GIT is handling international sales.

“The response to Hannibal has been extraordinary,” Richard Frankie, COO of GIT says. “It will be a procedural about a young FBI agent and Hannibal. We’ll start shooting this summer.”

GIT launched last September, it has offices in London and Los Angeles and London and has hired former NBC drama boss Katie O’Connell and former Sony Pictures Television exec Richard Frankie to run the company. Former Power Television sales boss Erik Pack is running international sales and coproduction.

The focus for GIT will be on a small number of high-end projects a year. “We haven’t been at this for long, but the response is very strong,” Frankie says. “We’re not buying catalogues, we want to be very boutique. We will have maybe two series a year and focus on high end miniseries and event programming.”