In the fall of 2016, Vampire Chronicles fans were elated to discover that the rights to the characters reverted back to creator Anne Rice, allowing her to explore the characters as she saw fit. Exciting them even further was the news from earlier this year that confirmed Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller was helping develop a TV series with the property. Sadly, it turns out that Fuller was only with the property briefly and parted ways the month after the partnership was announced.
Rice reportedly shared with Nerdist the news that Fuller left the project, which fans of the showrunner probably knew was only a matter of time. Fuller helped develop American Gods, Star Trek: Discovery, and Amazing Stories, only to depart all three projects. Hannibal is one of the only projects he stayed attached to for its entire run, with that series lasting three seasons.
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When the partnership was announced, Fuller’s level of involvement wasn’t confirmed, so it’s possible that he only ever intended to briefly help the Rices.
“We bought 11 novels as part of the Vampire Chronicles initiative,” Paramount president Amy Powell shared with The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “Bryan Fuller is working with Anne Rice and [her son] Chris, who are writing the pilot. We are hoping he chooses to stay on and potentially showrun.”
All hope for the series isn’t lost, as Anne’s son Chris Rice, who serves as an executive producer on the series, shared a photo earlier this month of the cover to the script of the series’ first episode, entitled “Wolf Killer.”
The series is slated to be an adaptation of The Vampire Lestat, exploring the origins of the otherworldly character and explore how he became a vampire. The book upon which the first season is based takes place a considerable amount of time before Interview with the Vampire, which was adapted into a film in 1994 starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. The adaptation resulted in critical and financial success, with co-star Kirsten Dunst earning herself a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Golden Globe Awards at only 12 years old.
The Vampire Chronicles series doesn’t yet have a network and likely wouldn’t debut until 2019. Stay tuned for details about the series.
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[H/T Nerdist]
