AMC+ Exec Teases Additional Anne Rice Projects
Anne Rice's world of vampires and witches is coming to AMC and AMC+ with both Interview With The Vampire and Mayfair Witches series both expected to debut later this year, but it seems like those aren't the only adaptations of the late author's work that are in development for the network. According to president of entertainment and AMC Studios at AMC Networks, there are other, "unofficial" projects in the works — and he envisions adaptations of Rice's work in a model similar to that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"We have other projects that are in development," McDermott told Variety. "They're sort of unofficial right. now, but we really plan to have five or six series in that universe over the next five or six years. And there will be an opportunity to pull characters from different shows and do what we refer to as our 'all-star' original series, taking supporting characters and maybe a lead character from one or two shows and doing original series that will be based in the Anne Rice universe."
He continued, "The best model would be an Avengers-style series, where you take characters from different shows and bring them together and you tell an original story using all of them and their backstory and the mythology. The objective is to honor everything about the source material and the characters' backstories and mythologies as well. But I think that's a really exciting proposition."
AMC acquired the rights to 18 of Rice's books in 2020, including the Vampire Chronicles series as well as the Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy so there is certainly enough source material to create numerous shows, which is something that McDermott did tease previously when it was announced that Interview With The Vampire was officially moving forward in 2021.
"This is a day we have been looking forward to since we acquired this legendary Anne Rice collection a little more than a year ago," Dan McDermott, president of original programming at AMC Networks and AMC Studios, shared last year. "This story already has millions of fans in the U.S. and around the world, we can't wait to share this new interpretation of the classic brought to life by Rolin and [producer] Mark [Johnson], as we continue to work on developing the entire collection. With The Walking Dead, this Anne Rice collection, and our majority stake in Agatha Christie Limited through our own Acorn TV, we are proud to have the stewardship of three unique, fan-forward, and beloved franchises and universes, which we are only just beginning to explore. We are also thrilled to have Mark, a world-class producer we have previously worked with on iconic series like Breaking Bad, Rectify, Halt and Catch Fire, and Better Call Saul on board at the helm of our efforts to develop an entire Anne Rice universe, with significant aspirations for these beloved stories and characters."
As for series that are official, Interview With the Vampire is set to debut this fall. The series stars Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt and Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lack. Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches is also expected to debut this year and is set to star Alexandra Daddario as Rowan Mayfair and Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair.
Are you excited for an Anne Rice universe of shows on AMC? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!