AMC Orders ‘Interview With The Vampire’ Series
AMC has greenlit an ‘Interview With The Vampire‘ series, based on the best selling novels by Anne Rice the US network has announced. Additionally, they have announced acclaimed producer Mark Johnson (‘Breaking Bad, ‘Better Call Saul’) will be overseeing the development of an Anne Rice “Universe” for AMC+ and AMC.
For those of you that don’t know the novel series, The Vampire Chronicles consists of 11 books, and starts with Louis, an 18th-century French colonial aristocrat, who is turned into the world’s whiniest vampire by the extremely charismatic Lestat. The series continues, mainly focusing on Lestat (I’m sure Louis would whinge about that too), as he continues his exploits across the ages.
In a major acquisition last year, AMC acquired the rights to Rice’s iconic works, encompassing 18 titles including the Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches series, which have delighted fans around the world. ‘Interview With The Vampire’ is the first title in the collection to be developed and greenlit to series. Acclaimed and award-winning film and television producer Mark Johnson (‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘Halt and Catch Fire’, ‘Rectify’), who also has an overall agreement with AMC Studios, is taking the lead on developing the full Anne Rice collection purchased by AMC into a streaming and television franchise and universe.
Rolin Jones (‘Perry Mason’, ‘Friday Night Lights’), who also has an overall development deal with AMC Studios, is creator, showrunner and executive producer of ‘Interview’. The series has been greenlit for an eight-episode first season. Johnson is also an executive producer. Anne and Christopher Rice are non-writing executive producers.
“The challenge of adapting for television the groundbreaking and immensely compelling work of Anne Rice is both intimidating and exhilarating,” Johnson commented. “Having previously produced films from such singular works, I recognize both the responsibility and the obligation we owe the material. I strongly believe that with AMC and Rolin Jones we are equipped to meet this challenge and to thrill and entertain both the loyal Anne Rice fan and the viewer who is just now discovering her work.”
The news of this series has been long in the making. Having originally sold the screen rights to the franchise, which resulted in a number of films, the most famous of which starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, Rice regained control of her property back in 2016. Ever since then she has been working with he son, Christopher Rice, on bringing the books back to screen in some form. This resulted in Paramount TV & Anonymous Content optioning the books, with Bryan Fuller helping to develop the project, before leaving over creative differences (as he tends to do). That potential series landed at Hulu, but stalled back in 2019. Then in 2020, AMC acquired the rights, and now we’re here.
“In 1973, a grieving mother and extraordinary writer began what would become the finest Vampire novel ever written (all respects to Mr. Stoker),” Jones adds. “Nearly fifty years later we know what’s expected of us. We know how much this book and the ones that follow mean to their massive fan base. We feel you over our shoulders as we tend the Savage Garden. Louis and Lestat are coming out of hiding and we can’t wait to reunite them with you.”
The Anne Rice catalogue AMC acquired last year includes The Vampire Chronicles Series: “Interview with the Vampire,” “The Vampire Lestat,” “The Queen of the Damned,” “The Tale of the Body Thief,” “Memnoch The Devil,” “The Vampire Armand,” “Pandora,” “Vittorio the Vampire,” “Blood and Gold,” “Prince Lestat,” “Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis,” and “Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat;” The Lives Of The Mayfair Witches Series: “The Witching Hour,” “Lasher,” “Taltos;” and The Vampire Chronicles/The Lives Of The Mayfair Witches- Crossover Novels: “Merrick,” “Blackwood Farm” and “Blood Canticle.”
“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,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios. “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 Mark, 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.”
AMC Networks holds the comprehensive rights for this world-renowned and globally coveted intellectual property to develop for its own television networks and streaming services under the AMC Studios umbrella, as well as external partner licensing, with Anne Rice and son Christopher Rice serving as executive producers on all series and films. Together, The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair series have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide.
‘Interview With The Vampire‘ is set to premiere on AMC in the USA in 2022. Although we have an AMC in the UK, it does not always follow that their own shows air on their own channel (they presumably make more selling them to other broadcasters abroad). If you want to keep track of this show you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
