CBS just took a huge step forward with its Silence of the Lambs TV show. Announced not that long ago, the Eye Network has given a series order to a sequel show that will follow the film’s central protagonist – Clarice Starling. Fast forward a little over a month, and Clarice has cast its main (and title) character in a vet of The Originals.
If you are a fan of the wrapped Vampire Diaries spinoff, you are in luck! A familiar face will anchor CBS’ Silence of the Lambs TV show, appropriately entitled Clarice. TVLine reports that The Originals’ Rebecca Breeds has won the role of Clarice Starling. Jodie Foster played the character in the movie and won an Oscar for her work.
Rebecca Breeds will play Clarice circa 1993. The show picks up one year after the film concludes. Clarice will accordingly follow its title character as she navigates the politics of Washington, D.C., while pursuing “serial murderers and sexual predators.” It sounds like she and Law and Order: SVU’s Olivia Benson could have a heart-to-heart.
Rebecca Breeds is no stranger to hanging out with monsters thanks to The Originals. Albeit, the ones she spent time with on The CW series were of the supernatural variety. On The Originals, Breeds played Aurora de Martel, one of the central character Klaus’ lovers throughout Season 3. Aurora dealt with her share of drama over the season, and now Breeds will get a chance to take on Clarice’s.
What can you expect from Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs TV show? Quite a lot. She is relatively fresh off of the harrowing aftermath of the film. So, expect knowledge of the movie that left you horrified in childhood to come in handy. There is more! Clarice executive producer Alex Kurtzman described the character to TVLine as possessing:
an inner light that draws monsters and madmen to her. Her complex psychological makeup comes from a challenging childhood, and her drive comes from her need to escape the burden of family secrets that have haunted her throughout her life.
From the sound of things, Clarice should get more into the personal side of its lead character’s life, which could be interesting. There should be quite a bit to sift through, especially following the added emotional repercussions of The Silence of the Lambs case. Of course, those “family secrets” should provide an additional heft to what happened there.
At first consideration, Clarice seems like it could fall into the procedural category. CBS loves its procedurals and for a good reason! It has found ample success with them. Fresh off of saying goodbye to its long-running hit Criminal Minds, Clarice could be the crime show to help fill CBS viewers’ void.
That said, there is a possibility that Clarice could be a procedural that digs deeper than procedurals often do. Buoying that thought is that the show is currently titled Clarice, which is a personalized title that trends away from the more general-sounding NCIS franchise. That's good news for Rebecca Breeds, who may want a chance to further explore her new character’s psyche.
Will those who read the book and watched the movie learn more about Clarice Starling? Stay tuned! A premiere date for Clarice has not been set yet. While you wait for one, you can enjoy this winter and spring’s premieres. Need a refresher before it eventually arrives? As of February 2020, The Silence of the Lambs is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
