Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen's Netflix movie is dropped for unexpected reason
Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen's upcoming Netflix project has been dropped just days before it was due to start production.
The film, which was set to be directed by Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Alexander Payne, told the story of a Danish journalist (Mikkelsen) who takes a road trip with his teenage daughter across the US as he writes a story for a newspaper.
The story was adapted from Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard's own cross-America road trip, which formed the basis of two feature articles for New York Times Magazine in 2015, however Deadline reports that a rights issue is to blame for the unexpected cancellation.
Related: Netflix movies will not be banned from Oscars following Steven Spielberg criticism
According to the publication, Knausgaard's rights deal included a provision that he would be able to have an "out" for the project, and it was stopped at the eleventh hour when he had a change of heart over his story being turned into a feature film.
Although attempts were made to put the movie back on track, production has now been put on hold indefinitely.
Netflix won the rights to the film over several rival bids from distributors and it was expected to be put forward for contention in the 2020 awards season. Filming was due to take place in Sweden, Denmark and the US this month.
Related: Hannibal season 4 revival talks are still happening, says Mads Mikkelsen
Meanwhile, Hannibal boss Bryan Fuller recently revealed that he still hasn't given up hope of a renewal, even though the show was axed four years ago.
"I've made it clear I want to do it, the cast wants to do it and [executive producer] Martha [De Laurentiis] wants to do it," he said. "We just need a network or a streaming service that wants to do it, too. I don't feel there's a clock on it or an expiration date for the idea. We just need someone to bite."
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