CBS's 'Silence Of The Lambs' Spinoff Casts Australian Actress As Clarice

Clarice Starling, the iconic FBI agent character, has been cast for CBS’s “Silence of the Lambs” spinoff series. Rebecca Breeds, the Australian actress who is best known for her recurring role in “Pretty Little Liars,” has been given the role.

CBS’s “Silence of the Lambs” series simply titled “Clarice” takes Starling, originally played by Jodie Foster, on her own personal journey in the aftermath of the horrendous events from the film, in which she tracks down a serial killer with the help of infamous cannibalistic psychologist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). This unexpectedly results in Hannibal escaping the clutches of the FBI and presumably going on a new hunger-filled killing spree until the sequel “Hannibal” continued the story.

TVLine reports that “Clarice” takes place in 1993, just one year after “Silence of the Lambs.” Starling will begin handling other cases of serial killers and sexual predators while living in Washington D.C., while she still struggles with the demons from her childhood. She has a need to “escape” from those family secrets that have haunted her for her entire life.

Starling is described as being very smart but vulnerable. Her bravery continuously draws the attention of the criminally insane like Hannibal and Buffalo Bill. Her traumatizing childhood gave her a strong sense of justice and the goal of pursuing a career in criminal psychology, which drove her to graduate Magna Cum Laude from UVA with degrees in criminology and psychology.

This CBS series will fill in the gap, according to Variety. “Clarice is being written and produced by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet under Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout production banner. Secret Hideout producers Heather Kadin and Aaron Baiers will also serve as executive producers.

This would make Breeds the third actress to portray Clarice Starling after Foster’s original Academy Award-winning portrayal and Julianne Moore’s take in the sequel.