Peter Webber’s Behind The Mask: Young Hannibal is to start shooting on October 10th in Prague.
Dino and Martha De Laurentiis, Tarak Ben Ammar of Quinta Communications and British co-producers Chris Curling and Phil Robertson of Zephyr Films will produce the film with Petr Moravec of Czech production company, Etic Films.
Best selling novelist Thomas Harris has written the screenplay, based on his upcoming novel, Behind The Mask.
The prequel follows the young Hannibal Lecter from his childhood in Lithuania to his teenage years in France and up to his time in America.
20-year old French actor, Gaspard Ulliel (A Very Long Engagement, Brotherhood of the Wolf) will play young Hannibal. Gong Li will play Lady Murasaki, the woman who takes in the young Hannibal after his escape from an orphanage and unwittingly becomes the pawn in a revenge plot by Hannibal.
Completing the principal cast line-up is Rhys Ifans, Richard Brake and Kevin McKidd.
International sales are being handled by the producers.