SKY Mads Mikkelsen would settle for nothing less than a role akin to Dr Lecter

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Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the 50-year-old star of both the big and small screens explained how the calibre of the psychological horror series has raised the bar too high for him to consider further TV work. Although, he admitted he would consider another project, as long as it is of the same quality. "It's hard to go back to TV when you've done something as complete as Hannibal," he said. "It was everything I could dream of in a role. I'm going back to film until something as radical comes up, which may very well be more Hannibal." The actor divulged that the show - which was shockingly cancelled last year after a three season run - could indeed make a return on another network at some point, despite speculation that it is over for good.

SKY Viewers were left desperate to see where the plot would take Dr Lecter in season 4

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I'm going back to film until something as radical comes up, which may very well be more Hannibal Mads Mikkelsen

Mikkelsen candidly assured he and the cast would happily reprise their roles - and that they were simply waiting on the show's creator, Bryan Fuller, to see if he wanted to make more episodes. The character of Dr Lecter was made famous by Anthony Hopkins in the original movie Silence of the Lambs and its sequel, Hannibal, in 2001. Such an iconic character would surely be a daunting task for a new actor to take on, but TV opens an array of opportunity not granted by films, Mikkelsen explained. "Yes, it was intimidating. These were very big shoes to fill," the actor said. "One thing that worked in our favour was that it was a TV show. Anthony actually only had 14 miniutes of screen time in Silence of the Lambs, and yet made such an impact. "But on season one of the show, we had 13 episodes, so we could pace it down, try something else. TV is a very different animal. I was certainly inspired by Anthony. I would never have tried to copy him though. Through the show, the character was re-born. And the presentation of it was changed. The series was very beautiful, almost operatic. We took it out of the 80s."

SKY Who would return, should Bryan Fuller take the show to a new channel?

The Hollywood actor also revealed that there were other actors under consideration for the role, although he wouldn't say who, out of respect for them. When he was approached to audition, co-star Hugh Dancy put in a good word for him. "Then there was the whole thing of me not being British," Mikkelson recalled. "But according to the book, Hannibal is from Lithuania. He's not from Wales, he was scholared in France and Britain, but from Lithuania originally - as die hard fans will know - so I could get away with my funny accent!" He is also known for his role as the first villain of the Daniel Craig James Bond series. In 2006's Casino Royale, he played Le Chiffre - the blood-crying, inhaler puffing terrorism financier, who is in fact the original Bond villain from Ian Fleming's first novel in the series. Daniel Craig famously asked Mikkelsen who he'd slept with to get the role. Recounting the story, Mikkelsen said: "I met Daniel at my last audition, dressed in a tuxedo. I was supposed to do one last scene with him but they were casting the girls as well, and he was very busy, the director was very busy, the girls were very busy. And they didn't have any time for me.

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