In 2020, AMC announced they gained the rights to Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches series. The deal happened prior to Rice’s death in 2021, so it is not clear what her involvement was in the development of the first project—an Interview with the Vampire television show.
I first read Interview with the Vampire as a young teenager and it instantly shaped my lifelong love of pansexual vampires. To this day, the vampire Lestat is one of my all-time favorite literary characters. Yet, the Interview with the Vampire film and the proceeding sequel, Queen of the Damned, did not do nearly as well as the Vampire Chronicles book series did. As a side note, I am still bitter they never attempted the novel The Vampire Lestat since that is my favorite of all the books and went between the two films they made. Why did they skip it?!
Because of my past disappointments, I had little hope for this series. But after seeing the actors cast in the show and watching the recently released teaser trailer, I am actually looking forward to it! Here is everything we know about the upcoming show.
Main Cast and Characters
Louis de Pointe du Lac – Jacob Anderson, who is best known for playing Grey Worm on Game of Thrones (or as he is called by Jonathan Van Ness, Little Baby Barack Obama), will play Louis. The novel begins with Louis telling “the boy” (later in the series he gets the name Daniel Molloy) about his life as a vampire. It starts when Lestat de Lioncourt chose Louis as his consort. Louis is beautiful and sad, something that keeps Lestat eternally hooked.
Lestat de Lioncourt – Sam Reid (Anonymous) will play Lestat. A French vampire who comes to New Orleans looking for a new lease on the afterlife, he feels Louis’s humanity will bring him into the new era. Lestat has a dark humor that no one understands. He feels everything deeply, love and hate, but reveals nothing to those around him.
Claudia – Newcomer Bailey Bass will play vampire-child, Claudia. Although the actress looks to be in her late teens, the character is supposed to be a very young child. Her innocent look dupes her victims into trusting, not knowing she is a cold-blooded killer. There is no official word, but I can imagine they aged the character up for practical (and possibly problematic) reasons. Lestat found the orphaned Claudia and made her into a vampire to keep Louis with him, so they would be a proper family.
Daniel Molloy – Eric Bogosian (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will play Daniel Molloy. In the novel, Louis only refers to him as “the boy.” So I find it amusing that in this context, a man in his early thirties will play Louis, and “the boy” is a man almost seventy. Daniel interviews interesting people and takes a particular shine to Louis, wanting to know his story.
Full Trailer with a Plot Change
The original story began at the end of the 18th century in New Orleans. Louis owns a profitable Indigo plantation. He meets an enchanting vampire named Lestat, who offers him immortality. The two become locked forever in an angsty and beautiful romance filled with so many communication and intimacy issues.
The trailer, and all the officially released pictures, seem like the show takes place much more recently during the Jazz Age (1920s-1930s). The narration shows Louis met Lestat in 1910, changing the era completely from the source novel. In many ways, the Jazz Age is much more fun—it has its own fantastic soundtrack, and those tailored suits look lovely.
Instead of owning a plantation full of slaves, Louis runs a few successful businesses (looks like bordellos and casinos). His success draws the attention of a wonderful vampire named Lestat—who offers to make Louis into a creature of the night. Louis takes the offer but feels conflict and guilt like no human ever could, just like in the book. Although there are going to be several changes from the novel, the chemistry and tension between Louis and Lestat convey so much of the vibe from Anne Rice’s original story that I am sure it will be entertaining.
At the end of the trailer, we get an October 2nd release date for the show on AMC and AMC+. Just in time for some Halloween viewing.
Last year, I started re-reading the novel and, honestly, it wasn’t as good as I remembered it being. Since its publication in 1976, a lot has changed in our world and many parts did not age well. Rice’s romanticizing of southern plantations and queer-baiting would not be as well-received today. Even since the movies, gay romances (like the one that played out in the books between the two main vampires) have become more mainstream. So I am hoping, with all of my (vampire-loving) soul, that AMC has the guts to take the series and make it better—finally giving fans the love affair between Louis and Lestat we have all been waiting for.
Sexy New Trailer
With less than a month before the show’s release, AMC posted another trailer. This one (thankfully) highlights the sexy world of these vampires. It’s got everything. The chemistry between Louis and Lestat seems to be everything I have wanted. Louis’s drama is on full display. And David Bowie’s “Nature Boy” fits these moody vampires perfectly. Now I need to add it to my ever-growing Louis/Lestat playlist.
(featured image: AMC)
