The future for Hannibal, the psychological thriller series starring Mads Mikkelsen, remains in uncertainty after Amazon and Netflix passed on showing it on their platforms.

The show, created by Bryan Fuller, had been cancelled by US network NBC after three seasons and there had been hope that the streaming sites would be its saviour.

Bryan tweeted the bad news.

Deadline reported that Amazon was seen as the most likely home for Hannibal because its Amazon Prime service has the exclusive contract for streaming rights to the first three seasons of the show in the US.

The trade site claimed that Amazon may have declined the programme because of Bryan’s commitment to his next series, Neil Gaiman’s American Gods for Starz, and that Netflix said no because of Amazon’s exclusive rights.

Hannibal, based on Thomas Harris’ book Red Dragon, focuses on the relationship between criminal profiler Will Graham (played by Hugh Dancy) and forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter (played by Mads).

The show, which airs on Sky Living in the UK, also stars Laurence Fishburne, Gillian Anderson and Eddie Izzard.