When Judy Foster decided not to play Clarice anymore, Gillian Anderson, Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Angelina Jolie and Helen Hunt had all hoped Gillian Anderson was the first to give up playing this role, because in the contract she signed for the TV series "X-Files", it was stated that she was not allowed to play the role of an FBI agent.
After Thomas Harris completed the novel "Hannibal", mailed a copy to the creators of "Silent Lambs" Jonathan Demi, Judy Foster, Ted Tally and Anthony Hopkins , But Demi and Foster are very dissatisfied with the new work, even after the script has been changed 15 times, they still don’t want to take the lead in the film.
Mason's residence in the film was shot at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
In the film, the outdoor opera Hannibal watched in Florence and Dante's "Rebirth" were made specifically for the film. Although the screen lasted only 3 minutes, the entire opera was completed.
The film has been shot in many forbidden locations.
The Florence scene at the beginning of the film is the same as the scene Hannibal painted on the prison wall in "The Silent Lambs" in 1991.
It is worth mentioning that the film, like the first "Silent Lamb", appeared in several films of the Baroque musician Bach's "Gothenburg Variations", in which the opening episode of the film played the piano with Dr. Hannibal. The music (Dr. Hannibal especially likes this music) is from this song. Perhaps this is a Gothenburg Variation with profound feelings as a lullaby for insomniacs. The application of the film itself is an extension and association of thinking.
Hannibal's pseudonym "Phil" in Florence is derived from a poem by Thomas Brown, a 17th-century British satirical writer. In addition, Bill Buffalo in "The Silent Lamb" also lives on Phil Street.
Frank Fessen in the film has appeared in all four "Hannibal" films.
The real North Carolina Mounted Police assisted in the filming and appeared in the film.
During the promotional period, the producer said that the number of deaths in the film would create the highest record.
The film was rated as "Not under 16" in Germany, but after the screening, some youth organizations and parents strongly requested a re-rating, so it was later changed to "Not under 18". Similarly, the film was originally designated as "MA15+" in Australia, and was changed to "R18+" a week after its release.
According to the film’s photographer (John Mathieson), the film had three different endings, because it is uncertain whether Thomas Harris’s novel endings are suitable for the film. These three endings were shot for Harris and producer Di. No. de Laurentiis and director Ridley Scott.
After learning that Judy Foster and Jonathan Demi gave up the role of the film, Anthony Hopkins was reluctant to play Hannibal again, so the producer had planned to replace him with Tim Rose.
Christopher Reeve was invited to play Mason, but he refused to play it.
Some extras and small roles in the film were recruited by Anthony Hopkins.
Gary Oldman had asked to appear in the subtitles with Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore, but the producer refused his request, and Oldman refused to appear on any staff list. In the cinema version of the film, neither the opening nor the ending subtitles appear his name.
The 500-pound cannibal pig in the film was selected by director Ridley Scott from 6,000 pigs.
