Bryan Fuller and the rest of the cast and crew of "Hannibal" did not want to stop making the show, and they all feel that they have more unchartered territory left to explore in the upcoming seasons.
Mads Mikkelsen, who portrays lead character Dr. Hannibal Lecter said that they were caught off guard when they learned that the show was cancelled after season 3.
"For all of us, it was a surprise," he told Collider. "After Season 1 and Season 2, there was a certain anticipation for not continuing for the next season. But for some reason, with Season 3, we felt we were rolling and that we were unstoppable, and that's when we were stopped. It came as a surprise to us, actually, quite dramatically."
What Mikkelsen loved about "Hannibal" was that he was able to work with a "solid group of enormous talent," which he believes is truly rare. At the same time, Hannibal is so complex yet entertaining that Mikkelsen feels he has an insatiable appetite to get to know the character.
"When you do a TV show, there's always the fear that it will become tired and you'll know exactly what's going to happen, but it never felt like that. It always felt like there was a surprise in there somewhere," he said. "He's a character I tremendously enjoyed being inside. He was not necessarily completely different from episode to episode, but there was always something that was interesting and new to me, as well. I never grew tired of the character. Spending three years with him has been a fantastic gift. He will never leave me, at least not as an actor."
The other stars of the show feel the same way towards their characters, said Mikkelsen, so given the chance to create a fourth season, the actor said that none of them would hesitate in doing so.
"If it comes to a point where we actually can make a full season, I think we will all make it happen because we've enjoyed it so much. If it doesn't happen, we are very pleased and proud that NBC chose to air this, in the first place, as it's a radical show in their world. Both are a win-win, I think," he said.
Mikkelsen said that Fuller has already shared his vision for the fourth season to him, and it is too bad that it had been put to a halt.
"We touched the subject a few times, but at the time, nothing was finalized. He didn't dig too deep into it, but he definitely pitched to us how at least the beginning of the season would be," he said.
