Title: Hannibal (Harris novel)
Content: A film adaptation was released in 2001 through MGM and Universal Studios. Most of the cast of The Silence of the Lambs, particularly Jodie Foster, outright rejected involvement with the project, in part because of their disagreement with the novel's alteration of Starling's character. The film was directed by Ridley Scott, and starred Anthony Hopkins (the only returning actor, other than Frankie Faison) as Lecter, Julianne Moore as Starling, Gary Oldman as Verger, and Giancarlo Giannini as Pazzi. David Mamet and Steven Zaillian wrote the screenplay for the film. ; Elements of the novel are featured in the NBC television series Hannibal, which features Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter, as well as Hugh Dancy as Red Dragon character Will Graham, who appears as the protagonist instead of Starling. The second half of the series' second season features Katharine Isabelle as Margot Verger and Michael Pitt as Mason Verger, and shows how Verger was disfigured by Lecter. The plot of the novel is adapted into the first half of the series' third season, with Isabelle returning as Margot, Joe Anderson as Verger, Fortunato Cerlino as Pazzi and Glenn Fleshler as Cordell Doemling. 
Title: The Silence of the Lambs (film)
Content: Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling ; Masha Skorobogatov as young Clarice ; Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter ; Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford ; Ted Levine as Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb ; Anthony Heald as Dr. Frederick Chilton ; Brooke Smith as Catherine Martin ; Diane Baker as U.S. Senator Ruth Martin ; Kasi Lemmons as Ardelia Mapp ; Frankie Faison as Barney Matthews ; Tracey Walter as Lamar ; Charles Napier as Lt. Boyle ; Danny Darst as Sgt. Tate ; Alex Coleman as Sgt. Jim Pembry ; Dan Butler as Roden ; Paul Lazar as Pilcher ; Ron Vawter as Paul Krendler ; Roger Corman as FBI Director Hayden Burke ; George A. Romero as a jailer ; Chris Isaak as SWAT Commander ; Harry Northup as Mr. Bimmel ; Brent Hinkley as Officer Murray ; Cynthia Ettinger as Officer Jacobs 
Title: Hannibal Lecter (franchise)
Content:  The next adaptation was 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, which was directed by Jonathan Demme and was the first film to feature Anthony Hopkins in the role of Hannibal Lecter. Silence was a success, both critically and financially, and went on to become the third film in Academy Awards history to win in all top five categories (Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Actress for Jodie Foster, Best Director for Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally, and Best Picture).
Title: Hannibal (2001 film)
Content:  Hannibal is a 2001 American psychological horror film directed by Ridley Scott and based on the 1999 novel by Thomas Harris. The sequel to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, it follows FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling as she attempts to apprehend cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter before his surviving victim, Mason Verger, captures him. Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as Lecter, while Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster as Starling and Gary Oldman plays Verger. Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, and Francesca Neri also star. Following the release of The Silence of the Lambs, Harris spent several years writing a sequel novel. Foster and Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme initially planned to return for the sequel, but they and screenwriter Ted Tally declined because they found 
Title: Hannibal (2001 film)
Content:  Other stars subsequently cast included Ray Liotta as U.S. Justice Department official Paul Krendler (the character had appeared in The Silence of the Lambs, but original actor Ron Vawter had died in the interim) and Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini as Detective Rinaldo Pazzi. Francesca Neri played Pazzi's wife, Allegra. Frankie Faison reprised his role as orderly Barney Matthews, remaining the only actor to play a role in all Hannibal feature films (until Hannibal Rising in 2007), including Manhunter.
Title: The Silence of the Lambs (film)
Content:  The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris' 1988 novel. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer, "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine), who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald and Kasi Lemmons. The Silence of the Lambs was released on February 14, 1991, and grossed $272.7 million worldwide on a $19 million budget, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 
Title: Silence! The Musical
Content:  The original NY cast included Brent Barrett as Hannibal Lecter, Jenn Harris as Clarice, Stephen Bienskie as Buffalo Bill, Deidre Goodwin as Ardelia Mapp, Jeff Hiller, Howard Kaye as Papa Starling, Lucia Spina in a dual role as both Senator and Catherine Martin, Callan Bergmann as Jack Crawford, Harry Bouvy as Dr. Chilton, and Ashlee Dupré. Silence! played 67 performances at the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles in late 2012. Christine Lakin and Davis Gaines headlined the cast.
Title: Anthony Hopkins
Content:  Hopkins won acclaim among critics and audiences as the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1991, with Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, who also won for Best Actress. The film won Best Picture, Best Director and Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Hopkins also picked up his first BAFTA for Best Actor. Hopkins reprised his role as Lecter twice; in Ridley Scott's Hannibal (2001), and Red Dragon (2002). His original portrayal of the character in The Silence of the Lambs has been labelled by the AFI as the number-one film villain. Director Jonathan Demme wanted a 
Title: Hannibal (2001 film)
Content:  It was unclear if Jodie Foster (Clarice Starling) and Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter) would reprise their respective roles for which they won Academy Awards in The Silence of the Lambs (Best Actress/Best Actor). Both Hopkins and Foster had expressed interest. It became apparent that the producers and the studio could do without one of the original "stars" and would go on to find a replacement. The withdrawal of both Foster and Hopkins could possibly have been terminal for the project, however. De Laurentiis confirmed this after the film's release: "First and foremost, I knew we had no movie without Anthony Hopkins."
Title: Anthony Hopkins
Content:  In 2000, Hopkins narrated Ron Howard's live action remake of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He then reprised the role of Hannibal Lecter in the long awaited return from The Silence of the Lambs (1991) in its sequel simply entitled Hannibal (2001). Director Ridley Scott and actress Julianne Moore replaced Jonathan Demme and Jodie Foster who declined to participate in the sequel. Hopkins agreed to do the role approving of the script. In the book, Lecter uses bandages to disguise himself as a plastic surgery patient. This was left out of the film because Scott and Hopkins agreed to leave the 

Question: who plays hannibal in silence of the lambs?
Answer: Anthony Hopkins.