New Hannibal Reunion Movie Promises To Be Equally Violent As The Show In Rating Update

Dust Bunny has now earned a rating from the MPA, and audiences should expect a similar level of violence to Hannibal. Directed by the show’s creator, Bryan Fuller, and starring Lecter himself, Mads Mikkelsen, the upcoming film follows a young girl as she enlists the help of her hitman neighbor to eliminate the monster under her bed.

Ahead of the film’s theatrical release on December 12, the MPA has now weighed in on the subject matter featured in Dust Bunny, assigning the film an R rating. The film earned the rating only for “some violence,” putting it more or less in line with what was featured in Hannibal.

Although Hannibal aired on NBC, it continuously pushed boundaries with its content. Actual violence was featured sparingly on the series in favor of nightmarish and surreal horror imagery, but when it was present, it was usually bloody.

Cancelled after three acclaimed seasons, calls for Hannibal season 4 continue, but this new reunion between Fuller and Mikkelsen is the closest fans are going to get for now. Dust Bunny premiered at TIFF in September, earning overwhelmingly positive reviews from those in attendance for its strong performances and imagination.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film enjoys a remarkable 93% critics’ score from 28 reviews. This score could fluctuate as more reviews are added, but the film, which also stars Sigourney Weaver, David Dastmalchian, Sophie Sloan, and Nóra Trókan, is shaping up to be a worthy new collaboration for Fuller and Mikkelsen.

ScreenRant‘s own Dust Bunny review from Gregory Nussen goes against the grain with a score of four out of 10. For Nussen, the film doesn’t quite have the depth to support its inventive imagery. Nussen writes:

Fans of Bryan Fuller’s television work (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, Star Trek: Discovery) will recognize his flair for the visually dramatic, but Dust Bunny doesn’t have those works’ expansive world-building, and what it does have in that direction owes too much to other intellectual properties.

With Dust Bunny now confirmed to feature an R rating, this could have an impact on the film’s box office performance. As opposed to a PG-13, for example, an R limits the film’s potential audience. That being said, given Fuller’s past work, an R could be exactly what audiences who appreciate his past TV projects are looking for.

The film marks Fuller’s feature directorial debut, and if the strong critical reception translates into commercial success, it likely won’t be the last. An adaption of Stephen King’s Christine was originally going to be Fuller’s debut in this arena, but it’s unclear what the status of that project is now. As of this writing, the Hannibal creator doesn’t have another movie project lined up.

Many questions remain about Dust Bunny, but the latest MPA ruling makes clear that audiences can expect, in addition to imaginative imagery and a compelling performance from Mikkelsen, some scenes of classic Fuller violence.