Michael Pitt Joins NBC's HANNIBAL Season 2

 

For fans of Bryan Fuller's take on Thomas Harris' Hannibal novels and HBO's Boardwalk Empire (which will now be going into it's final season), the news that 'Empire' star Michael Pitt has joined Hannibal as the wealthy Mason Verger should come as pleasant news, especially given Verger's importance in the Hannibal universe.

Entertainment Weekly got the exclusive:

Pitt is playing the character of Mason Verger, an unstable wealthy patient of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) who begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the deadly serial killer.

The Mason Verger role will be introduced late in the upcoming second season, which finds FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) in prison, falsely convicted for Lecter’s crimes, while the doctor advises the agency on cases.

Verger was the lead antagonist in 2001's Silence of the Lambs sequel, HANNIBAL, directed by Ridley Scott and portrayed by Gary Oldman who absolutely is hidden in the role.

In the novels, Verger is Hannibal Lecter's only surviving victim, a sadistic pedophile who tries to seduce Hannibal, only to be drugged and convinced into cutting off his own face, feeding it to his dogs, and hanging himself, although this Verger is obviously much younger, possibly setting him up as a season-wide threat.

Katharine Isabelle (Freddy Vs. Jason, American Mary) was also cast as Verger's sister, Margo, a character who appears in the novel; but not the 2001 film. 

Hannibal returns Friday, Feb. 28.