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Anne Rice's Immortal Universe
Promotional title card
Created byAMC Networks
Original workInterview with the Vampire (2022)
OwnerAMC Networks
Years2022–present
Based onThe 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.

History

[edit]

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]

Television series

[edit]

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.

SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally airedShowrunner(s)Status
Interview with the Vampire17October 2, 2022 (2022-10-02)November 13, 2022 (2022-11-13)Rolin JonesReleased
28May 12, 2024 (2024-05-12)June 30, 2024 (2024-06-30)
3[19]TBATBATBAIn development
Mayfair Witches18January 8, 2023 (2023-01-08)February 26, 2023 (2023-02-26)Esta SpaldingReleased
28[20]January 5, 2025 (2025-01-05)[21]TBAPost-production[22]
The Talamasca1[23]6[23]2025[23]TBAJohn Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty[23]Filming[24]
Night Island16[25]TBATBAJonathan Ceniceroz[25]In development

Interview with the Vampire (2022)

[edit]
Main article: Interview with the Vampire (TV series)

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]

Mayfair Witches (2023)

[edit]
Main article: Mayfair Witches

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.

The Talamasca (2025)

[edit]

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 Autumn 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] By October, production had begun.[55] In November, it was announced that Maisie Richardson-Sellers had joined the cast as Olive.[56]

Future series

[edit]

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][57]

Reception

[edit]
For more details on the reception of each series, see the "Reception" section on each series' article.

Critical response

[edit]
Critical response of Immortal Universe franchise series
TitleSeasonRotten TomatoesMetacritic
Interview with the Vampire198% (82 reviews)[58]80 (30 reviews)[59]
298% (72 reviews)[60]89 (14 reviews)[61]
Mayfair Witches144% (36 reviews)[62]47 (13 reviews)[63]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ Haflidason, Almar (April 10, 2002). "Film of the Damned: The Tragedy Behind Queen of the Damned". BBC Online. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  3. ^ McNary, Dave (August 7, 2014). "Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles Takes Flight at Universal". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
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