‘The Vampire Chronicles’ Set to Begin Filming This September

It’s been almost a year since the television series based on Anne Rice’s beloved Vampire Chronicles found a home with Hulu. Now, it looks like production on that series is gearing up to start this fall.

According to Discussing Film, The Vampire Chronicles will begin filming this September in Budapest. This information comes just a couple of weeks after it was announced that the series had found its showrunner, Dee Johnson, as announced Rice’s son Christopher Rice on Facebook.

“Today, I’m thrilled to tell you that after an exhaustive search, we’ve joined forces with the perfect showrunner, a woman of vast experience and impeccable professionalism who brings with her a deep respect for the material,” Rice wrote. “Say hello to Dee Johnson. Dee is a wildly talented and versatile writer/producer whose credits range from critically acclaimed dramas like BOSS, to network hits like NASHVILLE, to the world-building, science-fiction odyssey, MARS. An openly gay woman of color, during her extensive years on name brand shows like E.R. and THE GOOD WIFE, Dee championed the representation of minority characters, marrying diversity to smart and compelling drama and delivering it to millions of homes around the world.”

The Vampire Chronicles is expected to pick up with The Vampire Lestat, the second book in Rice’s iconic series. It’s a choice that isn’t terribly surprising. The first book, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted into a film of the same name starring Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt in 1994. In that film, the vampire Louis (played by Brad Pitt) details his centuries-long friendship with Lestat in the interview the film takes its name from. However, despite Interview with the Vampire being a major hit, director Neil Jordan recently told ComicBook.com that he’s not interested in being part of The Vampire Chronicles series.

“Well, I did have some communication with Anne. They reached out to me, so to speak. But I don’t think it’s something that I would want to pursue,” Jordan shared with ComicBook.com. “I loved the book Interview with the Vampire, which is one of the reasons I made that film. And I’m not sure I would be the best person to follow Lestat through an entire television series. But I think Anne is putting that together with her son. So, I’d be really interested to see what she comes up with. It’s a character that’s so deep to her heart, that character of Lestat.”

With The Vampire Chronicles not entering production until the fall, it’s unclear when the series will debut on Hulu. However, fans have plenty of vampire-related content to look forward to. The CW is producing a series based on 1987’s The Lost Boys with Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) Kiele Sanchez (Kingdom), Medalion Rhaimi (Still Star-Crossed), and Dakota Shapiro (Valley of the Boom) cast in lead roles. There’s also What We Do in the Shadows, based on the 2014 horror comedy of the same name, heading to FX in March.