Gene wanted to direct, and play Hannibal Lecter, Harris's agent, Robert Bookman, told Deadline in 2017. Work on a screenplay was under way when Hackman suddenly got cold feet and abandoned the project, apparently because it was too dark. Bookman recalled: Gene Hackman's daughter read the book. And she called her father and said, Daddy, you're not making this movie.' The Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Anthony Hopkins, and won all five of the top Oscars.
Bonhams auction house will present The Gene Hackman Collection: A Life in Art, a single-owner sale featuring the actor's personal art holdings, movie memorabilia and even some of his own creations. A public preview will take place at Bonhams' Madison Avenue location across three days in November, offering a quiet window into the private world of the two-time Oscar winner.