“The Hobbit” star Richard Armitage has joined the cast of NBC’s “Hannibal,” a spokesperson for the network told TheWrap.
He will play Francis Dolarhyde, a.k.a. the Tooth Fairy, on Season 3 of the psychological horror series, adapted from Thomas Harris’s popular novels “Hannibal,” “Hannibal Rising” and “The Red Dragon.” He is slated for a six-episode run.
Armitage recently played the treasure-obsessed dwarf Thorin in all three of Peter Jackson‘s “Hobbit” movies, including “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” which came out last month. He also starred in Steven Quale’s “Into the Storm” and as John Proctor in a 2014 retelling of “The Crucible,” as well as co-starred in Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger.” On the television side, he starred on BBC One’s “Spooks” for several seasons.
United Agents, WME and Management 360 represent him.
“Hannibal,” which concluded Season 2 last May, tracks the evolving relationship between an FBI criminal profiler (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). The series was renewed for a Season 3 by NBC network that same month, while averaging a young-skewing 1.4 rating.
Armitage’s toothy serial killer is the main villain in “The Red Dragon,” eventually turned into a movie starring Anthony Hopkins (as Lecter), Ed Norton (as the FBI agent) and Ralph Fiennes (as Dolarhyde). Executive producer Bryan Fuller had teased the appearance of Dolarhyde at last year’s Comic-Con, promising that he would first appear on Episode 8.
Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne and Gillian Anderson co-star on the series, produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company.
TVLine first reported the casting.
