So, it has been brought to my attention (in a dickish way) that this rumor seems to be a recycled one from back in 2000. Check this out:

"And actress Cate Blanchett has been tipped to take over the role of Clarice Starling after Jodie Foster pulled out to direct Claire Danes in the forthcoming Flora Plum.

A spokesperson for film-makers Universal says, "Hopkins and Scott are both very committed. We like what we've got, and the revised script is really, really good.""

That's from ContactMusic and this is from Hollywood.com... from January of 2000:

"Universal has confirmed its intentions to stick by the "Silence of the Lambs" sequel, laying to rest reports on Entertainment Weekly Online last week that the studio was considering canning the project after Jodie Foster bailed out to instead direct Claire Danes in "Flora Plum."

"As far as we know, [this project] is alive," a Universal spokeswoman says. "[Star Anthony] Hopkins and [director Ridley] Scott are both very committed. We like what we've got, and the revised script is really, really good.""

That Flora Plum bit is probably what confused ContactMusic as that flick got put on hold and Jodie Foster is still attached to direct to this day.

Hollywood.com's story also mentions Blanchett as the frontrunner. So, since I still haven't heard back from Universal (it is after hours) we'll just assume this is a buzzkill article. I think it's pretty obvious this ain't gonna happen.

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I hesitate in posting this because there doesn't seem to be a solid source, yet everybody online is talking about it... which smacks of a rumor out of control. In fact, the best I can do to find a solid statement is from Universal in the original story at ContactMusic.

The talk is that Anthony Hopkins is returning to the screen as Hannibal Lecter in the near future, with HANNIBAL's Ridley Scott in tow. The scuttlebutt also has Cate Blanchett coming in to hold Clarice Starling's badge.

Like I said, this sounds all kinds of unreliable... they'd be doing this without a Thomas Harris novel to follow, a first for this series. And I love Hopkins, but I don't know if we need to see him return to that character.

The Contact News story has what appears to be a quote from Universal confirming the story, but again there aren't any specifics. I have my own inquiries into the studio at the moment. If I get something back fast I'll update this story with the confirmation or denial. Up until then, consider this a giant, honking rumor.

-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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