Marvel superhero sequel Thor 2 has lost its main villain with Mads Mikkelsen dropping out due to a scheduling conflict with his new NBC TV series Hannibal.

Hannibal is a prequel to Silence of the Lambs, exploring the relationship between sociopathic cannibal Dr Hannibal Lecter and FBI agent Will Graham. Ironically another American TV network is also currently developing a new series based around the backstory of Clarice Starling.

Here’s what Dannish star Mads Mikkelsen had to say about missing out on Thor 2:

“Yeah, that’s not happening unfortunately. I had a meeting with them, but they were a little too late. And then Hannibal came in, and everything just came in the same period, so now it’s not happening.”

Ironically 20^th Century Fox also recently lost director David Slade (30 Days of Night, Twilight Eclipse) to Hannibal, after he abandoned their Daredevil reboot to direct the pilot of the new show.

No doubt both studios will be eager to find quick replacements as they rush to capitalise on the astonishing success of The Avengers with a growing list of films based on Marvel’s most popular franchises.

It remains to be seen who Marvel will now turn to for villainous duties in Thor 2… but don’t panic… we still have Loki.