Hannibal Rising is a 2007 psychological horror thriller film and the fifth film of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It is a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), and Red Dragon (2002). The film is an adaptation of Thomas Harris' 2006 novel of the same name and tells the story of Lecter's evolution from a vengeful Nazi hunter into a cannibalistic serial killer. The film was directed by Peter Webber from a screenplay by Harris, and stars Gaspard Ulliel as the title character with additional roles played by Gong Li, Rhys Ifans and Dominic West. Filming took place at Barrandov Studios in Prague. It was co-produced by Italy, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, and the United States. It was released in France on February 7, 2007, and in Italy, United Kingdom, and the United States on February 9. It was produced by the Dino De Laurentiis Company and theatrical distribution was handled by Momentum Pictures in the UK, and by The Weinstein Company and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the US. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, though Ulliel's performance as Lecter was praised. It grossed $82.1 million worldwide against a $75 million budget. The film went on to become a hit on home video. Source: Wikipedia (en)