Mads Mikkelsen Cast as Title Character on NBC's Hannibal

Mads Mikkelsen has landed one of the pilot season's most sought after roles.

The Danish actor - who just won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival and will play the main villain in Thor 2 - will portray the iconic title character on NBC's upcoming Hannibal.

The 13-episode drama will star Hugh Dancy as FBI agent Will Graham and explore the relationship between him and his evil mentor at the outset of their complication relationship.

NBC is yet to announce a premiere date for the series, which will be produced by Bryan Fuller and which will likely start filling up the rest of its cast now that Hannibal is in place.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.