Bryan Fuller serves up a Hannibal reunion in his directorial debut, Mud Bunny, a monster film that makes pleasant use of Mads Mikkelsen. The story follows a 10-year-old woman named Aurora (Sophie Sloan), who’s haunted by the monster beneath her mattress. However not like the fleeting nightmares of different youngsters her age, Aurora’s terror could be very actual, provided that stated monster rapidly eats her dad and mom.
Fortunately, her next-door neighbor is an murderer (Mikkelsen), and he agrees to slay her dragon of a “mud bunny” after she tracks him down and presents him the alms from her church. Whereas the 2 initially staff up for their very own particular person functions, they quickly kind a bond akin to discovered household due to their shared trauma and loneliness.
ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan interviewed Fuller at TIFF to interrupt down his strategy to the darkly whimsical mission, replicate on his regular fanbase on the heels of Hannibal, and sit up for his future movie initiatives.
Bryan Fuller Expounds On The Mud Bunny Underneath His Mattress
ScreenRant: That is your first foray into movie, and I used to be blown away by the colour and the visuals. The place did the thought originate?
Bryan Fuller: It was going to be a part of Wonderful Tales, and it was at a sure stage of improvement with Steven Spielberg, so it was neat to have just a little little bit of his sprinkle on the story. And after it did not make it by means of the Wonderful Tales course of, I made a decision to do one thing far more private with it in telling Aurora’s story.
I feel every time I am writing, I sort of have to interrupt off a Horcrux chip and put it in issues. It offers you a barometer on issues, like, “I do not know if the character would try this.” And writers know as a result of there’s most likely a chip of their soul in that character. That manner, when an govt says, “I do not imagine the character would try this,” you are like, “Yeah, they might.”
It actually was about taking a high-concept storyline and making it as private as potential, and going again to that Amblin period of high-concept summer season motion pictures and emotional gateway horror that I beloved as a child. I beloved Poltergeist, I beloved Gremlins, I beloved The Goonies. There was one thing about these motion pictures and children at risk that felt like rites of passage by proxy for lots of youngsters, and a manner of constructing armor for actual risks in life. You are making ready your self by means of fictional risks that mean you can have enjoyable and in addition give your self a perspective that is within the story, however not of the story, if that is sensible.
ScreenRant: What have been the non-public parts that you simply inserted?
Bryan Fuller: I grew up in a difficult house, and so the monster wasn’t beneath my mattress a lot because it was beneath the identical roof. There was one thing in regards to the issues that you simply want for, that you simply assume are the monsters, however these truly are the issues that provide the energy to defeat your monsters if you actually know what they’re. That want achievement was crucial and highly effective for me as a storyteller as a result of I am like, “Okay, that is my first film, so it needs to be deeply private.”
I imply, there’s nothing I’ve carried out that is not very private ultimately. We may do an entire evaluation of why Hannibal is all of these issues, however I feel it was actually about discovering that mirror in Aurora that was going to provide me the barometer to inform the story to the most effective of my potential and be the most effective particular person to inform the story. You need to be like, “I’ve bought a perspective on this,” versus squatting over a conveyor belt.
Gathering The Good Solid For Mud Bunny
ScreenRant: Sophie Sloan was superb.
Bryan Fuller: Yeah, she was an actual treasure. Margery Simkin, our incredible casting director, noticed a ton of women. Sophie got here in, she had a really thick Scottish brogue, and we have been like, “We love you, however we cannot be capable of perceive you and Mads collectively.”
I used to be like, “She’s sort of the woman. However how can we parse the accent? How can we determine that out?” I confirmed her audition to Mads, and he was like, “She’s nice. Simply set it in Scotland.” It is an American movie, and it is set in Brooklyn, however he was like, “Simply set it in Scotland.” I used to be like, “We will not!” However she took care of that downside. She watched TikTok movies for 2 weeks, taught herself a Mid-Atlantic American accent, after which she auditioned once more.
Nevertheless it was a really exhaustive course of for the casting director. I had it straightforward. I solely noticed 12 children as a result of that they had whittled down hundreds to 12, and I sort of knew after I noticed the primary 12 that it was going to be Sophie. There have been three that we met in particular person, and when she got here in, she was minimalist in a manner that I feel is the trick with a number of youngster actors. You need them to be youngsters, however you additionally don’t need them to be annoying.
There’s one thing about children in difficult house lives; they’ve a weight to them that different children haven’t got. There is a form of sobriety and stoicism that she has within the position. And in addition warning, as a result of you need to convey that she’s witnessed three mass murders and is coping with that trauma as effectively. So, she will be able to’t be an excessive amount of of a child as a result of that childhood has been taken away from her.
ScreenRant: You are reuniting with Mads Mikkelsen, and I do know that Hannibal followers are so excited. Are you able to inform me just a bit bit about how lengthy you have been speaking about re-teaming and what that will appear to be?
Bryan Fuller: When this was an Wonderful Tales mission, I pitched it to Mads on the premiere of Rogue One, and he was like, “Nice!”
Then it wasn’t going to be in Wonderful Tales. However as a result of I preferred the story, and I form of noticed the Amblin moon and ET and Elliot using throughout, I used to be identical to, “This looks like a film. This feels prefer it ought to have the Amblin brand on it and take us again to the ’80s and to that fashion of gorgeous characterizations in high-concept style motion pictures.”
I am unable to articulate sufficient how a lot he had my again as a associate and as a brother on the image, and the way he simply continued to step up at each stage of the manufacturing as a result of it was a difficult manufacturing. We have been in a rustic the place many of the crew did not communicate English, and there have been numerous stressors round that.
However between Mads and Sigourney Weaver and our cinematographer, visible results supervisor, and costume designers, there was a extra intimate relationship than working in tv. That was inspiring and in addition allowed me to reside within the second greater than you do in tv, since you’re at all times like, “After I end this one, I’ve bought seven extra.”
It is laborious to reside within the current and be thankful for what we get to do, however working with these folks actually like an old-style theater troupe. It is like a Judy Garland film, the place everyone’s placing on a present within the barn and coming collectively and supporting one another. There was a really shut, tight-knit group of individuals on the crew that made it very great, and I really feel like I’ve made associates for all times. I had their backs, that they had my again, and that was actually particular.
Fuller’s Plate Is Full Between Movie & Tv
ScreenRant: You come from the TV world. Do you are feeling such as you’re within the movie world now, and that’s what you need to proceed to do?
Bryan Fuller: I really like each, and I’m engaged on a few TV issues proper now that I really like,. However I really feel like [whispers] making motion pictures is simpler.
I feel tv is extra well produced as a result of it needs to be, due to the tonnage and the marathon that you simply’re working. Motion pictures are just a little little bit of the Wild West. Hopefully, they may get much less Wild West-y the extra I do them, however I positively love the filmmaking expertise.
ScreenRant: Wasn’t there discuss of extra Hannibal?
Bryan Fuller: It is difficult now as a result of Martha De Laurentiis died, and he or she had a sure part of the rights. Thomas Harris is now making an attempt to get the rights all beneath one umbrella, and I feel that is going to take a few years of straightening out.
However your complete solid desires to come back again. Mads, Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas – everyone’s in. It is only a matter of: will the rights be found out once more?
I imply, my dream mission is to do a restricted sequence of The Silence of the Lambs with Mads and Zendaya as Clarice Starling. If I may put something out into the universe, I might put that into the universe.
ScreenRant: Talking about filmmaking, you stated motion pictures have been simpler. Do you will have an thought of what motion pictures you’d need to do subsequent?
Bryan Fuller: I’m writing one other film script proper now that’s sort of following within the deserted Wonderful Tales footsteps. There have been three or 4 of them the place I used to be like, “These ought to make nice motion pictures.” I am writing the following one in that line now, and I am hoping to complete that script by the top of the yr.
It is equally very emotional, high-concept storytelling. Extra about grownup themes, however nonetheless with that sort of French cinema inspiration to it. The Metropolis of Misplaced Youngsters, Delicatessen, and Amelie are large influences; they sort of offer you permission to put on that loud sample and people loopy colours.
Mud Bunny is at present enjoying in theaters.
- Launch Date
-
December 12, 2025
- Runtime
-
106 minutes
- Director
-
Bryan Fuller
- Writers
-
Bryan Fuller
- Producers
-
Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Bryan Fuller