Gaspard Ulliel as Young Hannibal ?

According to Allocine Gaspar Ulliel is one of the canditates for playing the young Hannibal Lecter in Peter Webber's "Young Hannibal". Previously Hayden Christensen and Macaulay Culkin were also rumored to portray the character. The story will be about "the creation of a monster" and involve complicated casting. The movie requires actors for playing a 5-, a 14-and a 20-year-old Hannibal Lecter. Producer Dino De Laurentiis believes, that an English accent will better to convey the personality of the Lithuanian-born Lecter, than an American would. We also will get to see Mischa Lecter (Hannibal's sister).

The story will tell how the young Hannibal, after escaping from an orphanage and running away to Paris, he takes refuge at the home of his uncle. His wife, Lady Murasaki, becomes the sociopath's teacher. This prequel will also show how Lecter grew fond of the taste of human flesh.

Already set to star in the movie is Gong Li, who will play Lady Murasaki, the Japanese woman who teaches cultural sophistication to a young Hannibal Lecter in Behind the Mask. Peter Webber will direct the fifth installment of the Lecter franchise scripted by The Silence of the Lambs author Thomas Harris.

Shooting "Young Hannibal" will begin on September 15th. The movie previously titled "Behind the Mask" and "The Lecter Variations" will be filmed in Lithuania, the Czech Republic and France. Thomas Harris' book will carry the original title "Behind the Mask" and will be published on November 29th.