When it comes to Hollywood studios, they’re pretty easy to read, most of the time, when it comes to decision-making. There are keywords that everyone knows excites executives more than others. One of those words is “franchise.” Another phrase is “established intellectual property.” So, when you combine them into a potential franchise based on the established IP of author Anne Rice, you get an immediate one-season order for a new “Interview with the Vampire” series on AMC.
According to Variety, AMC has greenlit an eight-episode series that will adapt Anne Rice’s massively popular novel, “Interview with the Vampire.” The series, which already was adapted into a hit feature film back in the ‘90s, isn’t just a one-off thing, either. According to the report, ‘Interview’ is just one step in a massive Anne Rice universe that AMC is working to create through its TV networks and streaming service.
“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.”
“Interview with the Vampire” will be written, produced, and showrun by Rolin Jones. The writer/producer is an established TV veteran, previously working on shows such as “Weeds,” as well as recent TV reimaginings of “The Exorcist” and “Perry Mason.” If you’ve seen the film or read Rice’s book, you know “Interview with the Vampire” introduces the world to Lestat, a centuries-old vampire, and his long life as, well, a creature of the night.
There’s no official release date set for “Interview with the Vampire,” but the report claims AMC is really hoping to get this on TV screens in 2022.