If a TV show ever has to replace an actor during the middle of a character’s narrative arc, it certainly helps if the character’s face has been sliced up to the point of unrecognizability. Hannibal fans are in for one hell of a switcheroo for the super sicko Mason Verger, as actor Michael Pitt has left the series entirely and won’t be coming back for Season 3. Luckily, NBC was quick to find a replacement in Hercules actor Joe Anderson.
What’s more, you don’t even have to wait until Season 3 premieres to know what Anderson is going to look like as the justifiably tortured meat packing magnate. According to TV Line, who revealed that the decision to leave the show was Pitt's alone, the photo below was shared through Anderson via social media.
Yes! You know you’re a hardcore character if you can still sneer and smoke despite having chunks of your face missing. Pretty sure I’d still be whining about it all. But then I’m not like Mason. No one should be.
When we last saw Pitt as the incestuous psycho in the Season 2 finale, Hannibal drugged him and made him feed chunks of his sliced-off face to Will Graham’s dogs. And then there was the eating of the nose and the broken neck and all. This guy hasn’t had what many would call a respectable life.
When Hannibal returns for Season 3, he will be under the guidance of his personal doctor Cordell, a smart and probably sadistic guy. He’ll probably be in the crosshairs of sister Margot as well, but it looks like she’ll be keeping him around for a while.
The England-born Joe Anderson is no stranger to the horror genre, having starred in Carter Smith’s The Ruins, 2010’s The Crazies and Alexandre Aja’s Horns from earlier this year. His TV roles include the slightly horrific (if only because of how uneven it was) ABC found footage series The River and WE’s crime thriller The Divide.
Hannibalwill return to NBC at some point in early 2015. Will you guys miss Michael Pitt as Mason Verger?
