Hopkins and Foster set for `Lambs' sequel

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster are set to repeat their Oscar-winning roles in a sequel to The Silence of the Lambs - when such a thing is finally written.

Hopkins has said he would not play the cannibalistic killer Hannibal Lecter again because the role was too emotionally draining to repeat. But he has had a change of heart, and Foster said yesterday she would also return as the FBI agent she played in the picture.

The author Thomas Harris, who is working on a follow-up to his novel, has not yet indicated when he will complete it.

Foster revealed that her performance was based on a genuine fear of her British co-star. "He was never fully introduced to me," she said of their first script reading. "He scared me to death. I couldn't really have a conversation with him again."

The two have become firm friends since, and Foster added: "For the nicest guy in the world, it's amazing he could find that demon in himself."