Anne Rice's Immortal Universe | |
---|---|
Created by | AMC Networks |
Original work | Interview with the Vampire (2022) |
Owner | AMC Networks |
Years | 2022–present |
Based on | The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice |
Films and television | |
Television series | |
Audio | |
Soundtrack(s) | Interview with the Vampire (Original Television Series Soundtrack) |
Anne Rice's Immortal Universe is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on the 2020s AMC television series adaptations of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches supernatural horror novel series. The books, which originated with the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire , follow vampires and witches in the ancient and modern world. The franchise includes two television series, Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches . A third, The Talamasca , is in development, focused on the Talamasca, a secret society in Rice's novels who investigate the paranormal.
AMC coined the term "Immortal Universe" with the October 2022 release of its Interview with the Vampire series. Notable characters include the vampires Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac, the witch Rowan Mayfair and paranormal investigator and empath Ciprien Grieve.
Novels from Rice's The Vampire Chronicles were previously adapted in the films Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Queen of the Damned (2002). [1] [2] In August 2014, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment acquired the motion picture rights to the entire Vampire Chronicles series, with producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci signed to helm the potential film franchise. [3] In May 2016, it was reported that writer–director Josh Boone and Jill Killington had completed a script adapting Rice's Interview with the Vampire (1976) and its sequel, The Vampire Lestat (1985). [4] [5]
In November 2016, Rice announced that the theatrical rights to her novels had reverted to her, and that she and her son, writer Christopher Rice, would be developing and executive producing a potential television series based on her works. [6] In April 2017, they teamed up with Paramount Television and Anonymous Content to develop a series, [7] and in early 2018, Bryan Fuller joined the project. [8] On July 17, 2018, it was announced that the series was in development at streaming service Hulu, and that Fuller had departed the production. [9] By December 2019, Hulu's rights had expired, and Rice was shopping a package combining film and TV rights to both The Vampire Chronicles and her related Lives of the Mayfair Witches series. [10] Rice was reportedly asking around $30 to $40 million, plus a $2.5 million buyout of Warner Bros.' rights, and the new owner would hold the rights in perpetuity, not just as an option. [10]
In May 2020, it was announced that AMC Studios had acquired the rights to The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches for developing film and television projects. [11] Rice and her son would serve as executive producers on any projects developed. [11] Rice said, "It's always been my dream to see the worlds of my two biggest series united under a single roof so that filmmakers could explore the expansive and interconnected universe of my vampires and witches. That dream is now a reality, and the result is one of the most significant and thrilling deals of my long career." [11] Rice died in December 2021. [12]
AMC coined the term "Immortal Universe" with the October 2022 release of its Interview with the Vampire series. [13] [14] A second series, Mayfair Witches , debuted in January 2023. [15]
The studio created a custom font called Immortal Gothic for the franchise. [16] [17] [18]
Two television series make up the Immortal Universe franchise: Interview with the Vampire, and Mayfair Witches. All series in total amount to 23 episodes across three seasons of television.
Series | Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Showrunner(s) | Status | ||
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Interview with the Vampire | 1 | 7 | October 2, 2022 | November 13, 2022 | Rolin Jones | Released | |
2 | 8 | May 12, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | ||||
3 [19] | TBA | TBA | TBA | In development | |||
Mayfair Witches | 1 | 8 | January 8, 2023 | February 26, 2023 | Esta Spalding | Released | |
2 | 8 [20] | January 5, 2025 [21] | TBA | Post-production [22] | |||
The Talamasca | 1 [23] | 6 [23] | 2025 [23] | TBA | John Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty [23] | Filming [24] | |
Night Island | 1 | 6 [25] | TBA | TBA | Jonathan Ceniceroz [25] | In development |
In June 2021, it was announced that AMC had given a series order for Interview with the Vampire, a television adaptation of the first half of Rice's 1976 novel, executive produced by Rolin Jones and Mark Johnson. [26] On September 28, 2022, ahead of the series premiere, AMC renewed Interview with the Vampire for a second season which covered the second half of the novel. [27] [28] Season one premiered on AMC on October 2, 2022, with an advance release three days earlier on the network's streaming service, AMC+. [29]
The series stars Sam Reid as 18th century French vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, [30] Jacob Anderson as his lover, Louis de Pointe du Lac, [31] Eric Bogosian as modern-day journalist Daniel Molloy, [32] and Assad Zaman as ancient vampire Armand. [33] Teenage vampire Claudia is portrayed by Bailey Bass in season one, [34] and by Delainey Hayles in season two. [35] New characters introduced in season two include Ben Daniels as the vampire Santiago, [36] and Roxane Duran as Madeleine. [37]
In the story, rakish vampire Lestat comes to 1910 New Orleans and seduces brothel owner Louis, who consents to being made a vampire himself. But Louis struggles with the killing of, and isolation from, humans that his survival now requires, and he grows apart from Lestat. Louis forms a bond with young vampire Claudia, but she proves to be impulsive and reckless, endangering their already fragile family unit.
Ancillary material to the first season of Interview with the Vampire included Obsessed with the Vampire, a digital post-show discussion about each new episode, and a podcast in which host Naomi Ekperigin is joined by the actors and writers from the series. [38] [39]
In December 2021, it was reported that AMC had given a series order for Mayfair Witches, a television adaptation of Rice's 1990 novel The Witching Hour , written and executive produced by Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford, and executive produced by Mark Johnson. [40] [41] The Interview with the Vampire series was already in production, but had not yet aired. [40] [41] Mayfair Witches premiered on AMC and AMC+ on January 8, 2023. [15] On February 3, 2023, AMC renewed the series for a second season. [42]
The series stars Alexandra Daddario as neurosurgeon Rowan Mayfair, [43] Harry Hamlin as wealthy patriarch Cortland Mayfair, [44] Tongayi Chirisa as Talamasca agent and empath Ciprien Grieve, [45] and Jack Huston as the malevolent spirit Lasher. [46] [47] Recurring roles include Annabeth Gish as Rowan's birth mother Deirdre Mayfair, Beth Grant as Rowan's great aunt Carlotta Mayfair, Erica Gimpel as Rowan's adopted mother Ellie Mayfair and Jen Richards as Cortland's daughter Jojo Mayfair. [45]
In the story, Rowan is shocked to learn she is the heiress to a dynasty of powerful witches haunted by a sinister entity called Lasher. As she uncovers the secrets of her new family and learns her true nature, she is surveilled, and soon assisted, by an agent of a mysterious organization called the Talamasca.
In April 2023, it was announced that AMC was developing a third Immortal Universe series focused on the Talamasca, a secret society featured in Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches series. [48] [49] In June 2024, it was reported that AMC had greenlit the series, titled Anne Rice's The Talamasca, set to be written and executive produced by showrunners John Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty. [23] Principal photography for the first season will begin in the fall of 2024 in Manchester, England. [23] The season comprises six episodes, set to premiere in 2025. [23] In September, it was announced that Nicholas Denton would portray Guy Anatole. [50] Later that month, it was announced that William Fichtner would portray Jasper and that Elizabeth McGovern would portray Helen. [51] [52] [53] [54]
In April 2023, AMC announced Night Island, a six-part short-form digital series written by Jonathan Ceniceroz. Centered on a luxury resort for vampires featured in Rice's 1988 novel The Queen of the Damned , the series will follow the attempted theft of a painting from the island by a pair of burglars who are unaware of the supernatural nature of its inhabitants. [25] [55]
Title | Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
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Interview with the Vampire | 1 | 98% (82 reviews) [56] | 80 (30 reviews) [57] |
2 | 98% (72 reviews) [58] | 89 (14 reviews) [59] | |
Mayfair Witches | 1 | 44% (36 reviews) [60] | 47 (13 reviews) [61] |
Interview with the Vampire is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, who tells the story of his life to a reporter. Rice composed the novel shortly after the death of her young daughter Michelle, who served as an inspiration for the child-vampire character Claudia. Though initially the subject of mixed critical reception, the book was followed by many widely popular sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles. A film adaptation was released in 1994, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, and a television series premiered in 2022. The novel has also been adapted as a comic three times.
The Vampire Lestat (1985) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the second in her Vampire Chronicles, following Interview with the Vampire (1976). The story is told from the point of view of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, while Interview is narrated by Louis de Pointe du Lac.
The Tale of the Body Thief is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the fourth in her The Vampire Chronicles series, following The Queen of the Damned (1988). Published in 1992, it continues the adventures of Lestat, specifically his efforts to regain his lost humanity during the late 20th century. Chapters from the book appeared in the October 1992 issue of Playboy.
Christopher Travis Rice is an American author. Rice made his fiction debut in 2000 with the bestselling A Density of Souls, going on to write many more novels, including The Snow Garden, The Heavens Rise, The Vines, as well as the Burning Girl series. His work spans multiple genres, including suspense, crime, supernatural thriller, and erotic romance. With his mother Anne Rice, he is the co-author of the historical horror novel Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra and its sequel, Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris.
The Vampire Chronicles is a series of gothic vampire novels and a media franchise, created by American writer Anne Rice, that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century.
Blackwood Farm is a 2002 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the ninth book in her The Vampire Chronicles series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994), continuing the unified story begun in Merrick (2000).
Blood Canticle is a 2003 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the tenth book in her The Vampire Chronicles series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994), concluding the unified story begun in Merrick (2000) and continued in Blackwood Farm (2002).
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles novel series. Born in the mid 1700s, Lestat is an immortal vampire and the antihero of the franchise.
Lives of the Mayfair Witches is a trilogy of supernatural horror/fantasy novels by American novelist Anne Rice. It centers on a family of witches whose fortunes have been guided for generations by a spirit named Lasher. The series began in 1990 with The Witching Hour, which was followed by the sequels Lasher (1993) and Taltos (1994). All three novels debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
The Talamasca, sometimes known as the Order of the Talamasca, is a fictional secret society featured in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches supernatural horror novel series.
Merrick is a 2000 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the seventh book in her The Vampire Chronicles series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994).
Armand is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles novels written by Anne Rice. At the end of the series, he is approximately 500 years of age. His outward appearance is that of a beautiful adolescent boy, 5’6, with curly auburn hair, large brown eyes and slender fingers. His features are at times compared figuratively to those of Cupid or a Botticelli angel.
Louis de Pointe du Lac is a fictional character in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. He begins his life as a mortal man and later becomes a vampire. He is the protagonist who tells his story in Interview with the Vampire. He also features in The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, Merrick, Prince Lestat, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis and Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat
Anne Rice was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Bible fiction. She is best known for writing The Vampire Chronicles. She later adapted the first volume in the series into a commercially successful eponymous film, Interview with the Vampire (1994).
Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, or simply Interview with the Vampire, is an American gothic horror television series developed by Rolin Jones for AMC, based on The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, named after the first book. Starring Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, it begins with the vampire Louis recounting his past and tumultuous relationship with the vampire Lestat.
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches, or simply Mayfair Witches, is an American supernatural horror thriller drama television series created by Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford, based on the novel trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice. The series stars Alexandra Daddario as Rowan Fielding, Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair, Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, and Jack Huston as Lasher.
"In Throes of Increasing Wonder..." is the series premiere of the American gothic horror television series Interview with the Vampire, an adaptation of Anne Rice's novel of the same name. Written by series creator Rolin Jones and directed by executive producer Alan Taylor, the episode premiered in the United States on AMC on October 2, 2022.
Interview with the Vampire (Original Television Series Soundtrack) contains music from the first season of the AMC gothic horror series of the same name. The series is an adaptation of Anne Rice's eponymous 1976 novel. Daniel Hart composed and produced the soundtrack, which has 19 tracks. Milan Records released the album for digital distribution on October 21, 2022, and it was released on compact disc (CD) in March 3, 2023. Critics praised the soundtrack, which was nominated for Best Original Score for Television at the International Film Music Critics Association Awards (IFMCA).