AMC Developing New Talamasca Centric Series for Anne Rice Immortal Universe

By Nicole Drum

AMC's Anne Rice Immortal Universe is growing. On Tuesday, AMC Networks announced that they are actively developing a third series in their shared universe based on Anne Rice's novels, this time with Oscar nominated John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) attached as showrunner and writer. The new series, which does not yet have a name, will be set around the world of the Talamasca, a secretive organization that appears in many of Rice's books and has been featured in AMC's Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches. The series would join the aforementioned Mayfair Witches as well as Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire which are both headed into their second seasons.

"The enthusiastic critical and fan reception to Interview and Mayfair is a great sign of what is yet to come in this immersive universe based on the works of Anne Rice," Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios of AMC Networks said in a statement. "We're excited to be in active development of the next installment in this growing franchise, written and to be showrun by the incomparable John Lee Hancock. The Talamasca is one of the most intriguing elements of Rice's works and a connective thread through so many of her stories, the standalone and crossover potential for this third series is immense."

AMC describes the Talamasca is an organization that is devoted to studying the supernatural world and keeping mortals safe from its darkest elements. As was noted above, fans have already gotten a taste of the Talamasca in Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches' first season with agent Ciprien Grieve becoming entangled in the life of Rowan Fielding. A Talamasca-centric series being in development is in line with what Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire executive producer Mark Johnson said previously about additional series being considered — and that while no book specifically about the Talamsaca exists, it's a story he thinks would make a great series.

"We're developing three other things, at the same time, all of them different," Johnson said. "People ask me what these shows have in common, or what these books have in common, and I actually think it's her characters, no matter how tortured or odd. Her vampires, unlike most vampires that we see all the time, are human beings. It's not humans and vampires. They are human beings who happen to be vampires, and they suffer from loss of love, lack of love, and lack of friendship. The idea that we all say, 'Wouldn't it be great to live forever?' of course, that would be terrible. You'd fall in love with your partner, your parents would die, and you'd still be there, the same age."

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"Some of the themes are the same … in Mayfair Witches, there's that whole middle section about the family and you go off to Haiti, and there's a series in there," Johnson said. "Is there a show to be made about Lasher? Is there a show to be made about the Fang Gang? There's no book that is about the Talamasca, but I think there's a great series about the Talamasca. Their job is to monitor these extraordinary events and creatures and not get involved, but to watch. So, I think that answer is yes, this will keep going."

The new, Talamasca-centric expansion of AMC's Anne Rice Immortal Universe is currently in development and does not yet have a release date. Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire and Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches have both been renewed for Season 2.  Season 1 of both series are available to stream on AMC+.

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