In what could be its final episodes, Hannibal will tackle Red Dragon - and new 'villain' Francis Dolarhyde might just break your heart.

Richard Armitage will take on the role of killer Dolarhyde as Bryan Fuller and his team finally bring Thomas Harris's 1981 novel to television.

Brooke Palmer



"You get six episodes of that story arc which really has only been explored in two movies, for probably 90 minutes at a time," Armitage said, referring to both the 2002 Red Dragon movie and the 1989 film Manhunter.

"So it's a real chance to take that book, which is incredibly detailed, and look at the backstory of where Francis Dolarhyde came from, and how he's emerged as this strange man who's complicated and dark, and at the same time innocent and romantic. Hopefully we're going to open that story up a bit."

For his part, Fuller described Dolarhyde's journey as a "heartbreaking" arc: "You feel so badly for this man who's struggling against his insanity to find love," he explained.

Brooke Palmer



"It's down to Thomas Harris's writing," suggested Armitage. "He really explores this damaged child that he created in Francis Dolarhyde - and it doesn't track in a linear way so you learn about his crimes first, and then you retrace where they came from.

"So all I needed to do was make the connection between the original source material and what Bryan and the writers were putting together."

Hannibal is now airing on Saturday nights on NBC, and continues on Wednesdays on Sky Living in the UK. The first instalment of the Red Dragon adaptation will air July 25 in the US and July 29 in the UK.

Exclusive: Hannibal season 3: Richard Armitage on becoming Francis Dolarhyde

Francis Dolarhyde is coming to Hannibal - watch a teaser of his debut:

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