MD Bastek
If you love horror literature—especially vampires—you’re most likely familiar with Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. The novel’s series’ first installment, Interview with the Vampire (1976), saw its first screen adaptation with the 1994 film of the same name starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, and Antonio Banderas. There was also a 2002 follow-up Queen of the Damned, starring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah.
An exact date hasn’t been announced yet, but sometime this year, a TV adaptation of Rice’s best-seller is set to air on AMC and AMC+. Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, and Bailey Bass have been cast in the role of the main characters.
Anderson, best known for his role on HBO’s Game of Thrones, plays Louis Pointe du Lac. Reid, who plays Lestat de Lioncourt, is known for his roles in the period dramas, Anonymous (2011), Belle (2013), The Railway Man (2013), and the British crime drama series Prime Suspect 1973. Bailey Bass will play Claudia and has also been cast in the upcoming sequels to James Cameron’s Avatar.
The teaser trailer simply shows a man in period clothing with his back to the camera looking out at the streets of New Orleans. It’s undoubtedly Lestat. Pictures have surfaced online showing both Anderson and Reid in character as Louis and Lestat.  
In a recent interview with People, series producer Mark Johnson said that he is working on the series with Anne Rice’s fans in mind. In the past, screen adaptations of best-selling novels haven’t always been well-received by readers. The 1994 film adaptation of Interview received a lot of criticism, especially for casting Tom Cruise as Lestat. Rice was vocal about how she felt about the casting, saying that Cruise was a bizarre choice. However, after seeing the movie, she changed her mind and even called Cruise to tell him that she was wrong. The follow-up, Queen of the Damned, received a frigid reception from Rice fans and critics after the movie hit theaters. I have to admit, I loved Interview and was disappointed in Queen of the Damned (I admit it has grown on me a bit over the years).
Johnson told People recently that he feels “great pressure and responsibility” to deliver an adaptation that Rice’s fans will appreciate as well as those unfamiliar with the late author’s work. He hopes that through the TV adaptation, a new generation will discover Rice’s work. Johnson told People that “What Anne Rice created and what her fans have been transfixed by forces us to take this book-to-television show transition with a great deal of responsibility. It is imperative that we do not disappoint her fans and yet we need to make sure that this story, these characters sing for a modern audience.”
He also added that “We are hoping that this series compels the Anne Rice fan to rediscover her works. We are also hoping that those viewers who have never read an Anne Rice novel go running to the bookstore eager to understand what all the fuss is about.”
In 2021, Johnson issued the following statement, on AMC Talk: “In 1973, a grieving mother and extraordinary writer began what would become the finest Vampire novel ever written (all respects to Mr. Stoker). Nearly 50 years later we know what’s expected of us. We know how much this book and the ones that follow mean to their massive fan base. We feel you over our shoulders as we tend the Savage Garden. Louis and Lestat are coming out of hiding and we can’t wait to reunite them with you.”
Hearing Johnson talk about his love and respect for Rice’s work makes me, a longtime fan, especially of The Vampire Chronicles, look forward to this series.
Interview with the Vampire is set to premiere sometime this year. The series will consist of seven one-hour episodes set to air on AMC and AMC+. AMC also plans for a series based on Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witch trilogy, The Lives of the Mayfair Witches.
