Following in the super-deranged footsteps of Tom Noonan and Ralph Fiennes before him, Richard Armitage has been tapped by NBC’s Hannibal to portray the decidedly dubious and super-demented killing machine better known as Francis Dolarhyde from the Thomas Harris novel series. He’s a Tooth Fairy! Only kinda-sorta-not-really, and definitely not one with which you’d want to be acquainted.

Yeah, that’s right: Thorin Oakenshield is going to nutter it up on Bryan Fuller’s most deliciously devious horror show. Something tells us that Bilbo Baggins ain’t going to be too happy about all that! (But who cares what a fictional character thinks, right?)

What makes Armitage’s new role so terrifying? Well, as the so-called Tooth Fairy, Dolarhyde’s murderous M.O. involves a seriously terrifying set o’ fangs — think back to that mechanical animal killer from last season and then multiplate that lust-for-death times a billion. In fact Dolarhyde had quite the bloodlust, often picking off entire households with his particularly demented brand of slaughter.

Armitage’s addition is one of several over the past few months of the show’s production. Back in December, Michael Pitt stepped out of his role as Mason Verger and was recast with Joe Anderson (the guy that wasn’t Jim Sturgess in Across the Universe; he also appeared in The Grey and the TV series The Divide), and Gillian Anderson was upgraded to series regular status ahead of the third season. Probably because Bedelia du Maurier’s going to need at least 12 episodes to explain why in the ever-loving hell she’d pop off on a trip with a serial killer from whom she’d previously run far, far away.

What do you think of this new development? Let us know in the comments!

HT: TVLine