 After Thomas Harris (I) (qv) finished writing the novel, he sent  copies to _Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)_ (qv) principals  Jonathan Demme (qv), Jodie Foster (qv), Ted Tally (qv), and  Anthony Hopkins (qv) for approval. The screenplay was rewritten no  less than 15 times because of dissatisfaction by Demme and Foster  over new character elements. In the end, neither Demme nor Foster  remained with the production.