AMC+’s new Interview with the Vampire series is currently bringing to life one of the most iconic pieces of vampire fiction of all time from the late Anne Rice. Next year we will also be seeing another series of her get adapted into Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, also set to debut on AMC+.
We’ve already heard Louis mention this infamous family of witches in the pilot episode, but they have a history dating back to the 17th century.Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches is a trilogy comprised of The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos. The series focuses on Dr. Rowan Mayfair, a brilliant neurosurgeon in San Francisco who returns to New Orleans after the death of her estranged mother, Deirdre Mayfair. She slowly learns the history of the Mayfair family, their legacy as witches, and the family’s connection to the Talamasca. She comes into her power as she falls for contractor Michael Curry.
All right, so those are a lot of terms to throw at you, so let’s break down what we know from the show thus far, who is playing who, and what the Hell is a Talamasca.
From the information we see on the Wikipedia entry for the show, Rowan’s name is changed to Dr. Rowan Fielding, probably to further explore the dynamics of Rowan being adopted. She is played by Alexandra Daddario (Percy Jackson/White Lotus), who once again is transforming a blonde character into a brunette. They also have Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair, cited as “the current Mayfair patriarch.” Cortland is the worst and is one of the pillars of the family. They change a few timeline things surrounding him, but I think it’ll make for some interesting watching.
Tongayi Chirisa will be playing Ciprien Grieve, a new character who is a combination of the book characters Aaron and Michael and serves as a love interest to Rowan, according to Entertainment Weekly. Aaron, in the books, is a member of the Talamasca. The Order of the Talamasca is a secret society constructed by Anne Rice that was introduced in The Queen of the Damned. They watch over, research, and investigate all supernatural-related activity.
The Mayfair witches were initially a witch family from Donnelaith, Scotland, that emigrated to America. They could amass great power for themselves in America over the generations due to their ancestor Suzanne Mayfair making a deal with a spirit named Lasher (played in the show by Jack Huston). However, like the House of the Dragon family of Targaryens, years of incest have kept them robust in magic but caused mental instability and trauma. Rowan walks into a legacy filled with blood, fire, death, and violence.
At least she gets a house out of it.
We will ring the witching hour on AMC+ on January 5, 2023.
(image: AMC)
