Just when I couldn’t think that I would get even more excited for the upcoming third season of ‘Hannibal‘ it looks as if Bryan Fuller pulled out all the stops and cast Tao Okamoto to play Hannibal Lecter’s Japanese aunt, Lady Murasaki. I’ve been a fan of Okamoto since first seeing her work in ‘The Wolverine‘ and was already looking forward to what she would do in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.‘Now though? She’s going to have a starring role in one of my top 3 favorite shows on television at the moment. Thank you for being a genre star and I hope you continue getting such juicy parts!
According to sources, her role on the show is described as “the dark and mysterious Lady Murasaki, who possesses an alluring and classical beauty with a dark secret.” In the novel, Murasaki and Lecter had an interestingly intimate relationship and I have no doubt that it will be reflected on in the series as well. What that means with Lecter’s relationship with Gillian Anderson‘s character, psychiatrist Bedelia du Maurier, remains to be seen.
As Lady Murasaki was a main character in ‘Hannibal Rising’ (which is a prequel to the world of ‘Hannibal’), there are going to be quite a few liberties taken with the timeline and massive changes made when compared to the TV series. When Fuller talked about what changes were going to be made, he had stated that “We’re taking the spirit of the character because of the events that happen in their lives. Her relationship to Hannibal will be more damaged and different. That will definitely be interesting to the fans of [Thomas Harris’] literature.”
If you enjoy the world of Hannibal Lecter, dark humor, and haven’t started watching this show for any reason quite yet I really suggest trying it out.
What do you think of Tao Okamoto being cast in the role of Lady Murasaki for the third season of ‘Hannibal’? Do you think she’ll be a good fit or would you have preferred to cast someone else?
Sources: Deadline
