In a first for the Hannibal the Cannibal creator, author Thomas Harris wrote the script for the movie while writing the book it'll be based on. "Behind the Mask" marks the first time Harris has written the screenplay for one of the Hannibal movies. The producers were responsible for getting author Harris to revisit Hannibal. They pointed Harris toward a potential storyline for "Behind the Mask" when they reminded him of a passage in "Hannibal" that talked about Hannibal's sister being eaten by hungry soldiers during World War II.
Producer Dino De Laurentiis told Variety, "It is a revenge story that shows why he became a cannibal. But he kills people that audiences want to see killed. So while there is a natural revulsion, the sympathy toward Hannibal remains."
Filming is expected to begin in May 2005, with the filmmakers currently scouting locations in France and the Czech Republic.
* - renamed "Hannibal Rising"
SOURCE: Variety
