Latest news with #InterviewWithTheVampire
Forbes
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
AMC's The Vampire Lestat Proves Prestige Can Be Niche And Loyal
With the recent announcement that the third season of Interview with the Vampire will be retitled The Vampire Lestat, taking its name from Anne Rice's second book in the Vampire Chronicles series, AMC has demonstrated that this change is both strategic and narrative. In the current era of streaming, AMC chooses to fully commit to its niche by focusing on its compelling and gothic-infused storytelling rather than on awards and an overwhelming volume of content. The latest installment in the series will focus on Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), who now takes over the narrative from his former lover Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), the main character and, occasionally, unreliable narrator of the first two seasons. This shift, which fans have been speculating about since the end of season 2, fits seamlessly into the already established canon, with character-driven stories that may not appeal to everyone, but are essential for the viewers who resonate with them. AMC, which is no stranger to turning books into shows and harnessing passionate fanbases like in The Walking Dead, continues this tradition with The Immortal Universe. This includes Interview with the Vampire, Mayfair Witches, and the upcoming Talamasca: The Secret Order, all based on late Anne Rice's books. This strategy responds to Netflix's market saturation and HBO's critically acclaimed blockbuster-style programming. Instead of targeting just a wider audience, AMC recognizes how much fans have craved the stories they have planned; they understand that fans want specificity. For example, when the first season of Interview With the Vampire aired, it received decent linear ratings. However, it still managed to break records on AMC+, with nearly 75% of streamers for the first episode being new subscribers to the platform. Then, in 2024, when the first season was added to Netflix, sign-ups for AMC+'s app nearly quadrupled as new fans of the show discovered that Netflix only had the first season, not the second, which was exclusively streaming on AMC+. This demonstrated that, while there are benefits to creating content that appeals to a broad audience, there is real staying power in developing stories that can only be told through a specific niche and perspective—namely, through co-dependent, emotionally immature vampires with undeniable physical appeal. Following the Netflix streams and the additional AMC+ sign-ups, the show now attracts 17.8 times the audience demand of an average series in the United States, ranking among the top 2.7% of shows at its peak. The series has received praise from fans and critics alike for its story, writing, and heartbreaking performances by Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, and, recently, Delainey Hayles for her portrayal of Claudia in the second season. Despite this, the show has yet to win an Emmy despite its nominations, unlike its competitors, such as Netflix, which has canceled many of its award-winning and fan-favorite shows, including The OA, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Julie and The Phantoms. Too often, fans invest in a show with the lingering fear that it will be canceled after its first season, accompanied by the thought: 'If only more people had found it.' AMC counters this by emphasizing its strong writing, production, and actors. Recognizing that its story's niche might not lead to immediate success, the network commits to slow-burn growth, trusting that the audience will come if the story speaks for itself and stands on its own. Like the first two seasons of the show, The Vampire Lestat continues to follow the example set by prioritizing brand consistency. Lestat, a flamboyant, morally grey vampire rockstar, embodies everything that AMC knows its audience loves. They don't need to tone him or their other stories down to appeal to the masses; the numbers already prove their worth. And while prestige doesn't need to appeal to everyone, shows can succeed if they find a way to connect deeply with someone, and if the recent trailer of The Vampire Lestat is any indication, AMC is going all out to reinforce that commitment.
The Independent
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Popular TV series to get a new title ahead of season 3 launch
The acclaimed TV series Interview with the Vampire will be rebranded as The Vampire Lestat for its third season. AMC announced the name change at San Diego Comic-Con, with the new season set to adapt Anne Rice's second novel in the series. The show stars Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, with new cast additions for season three. The article also references the 1994 film adaptation, where Tom Cruise 's casting as Lestat was initially met with fan criticism. Film director Neil Jordan revealed he first offered the role of Lestat in the movie to Daniel Day-Lewis, who declined.
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AMC offers proof of Interview With The Vampire life with BTS look at Lestat's rock career
Interview With The Vampire fans must be hungry by now. (Or thirsty? Perhaps they're one and the same if you're a vampire.) While AMC has kept the party rolling with The Mayfair Witches and will again with the forthcoming The Talamasca this fall, they're just not the same as Louis and Lestat. And although we can't even say the wait is almost over, the network is at least keeping the undead alive with a smattering of new info at San Diego Comic-Con. As confirmed at last year's Comic-Con, the third season of Interview With The Vampire will be running with the title The Vampire Lestat, the book Anne Rice published in 1985 as a followup to her initial 1976 novel Interview With The Vampire. In addition to the behind-the-scenes look at Lestat's career as a rock star, AMC confirmed the casting of Jennifer Ehle as Gabriella, Ella Ballentine as Baby Jenks, Jeanine Serralles as Christine Claire, Christopher Heyerdahl as Marius, and Damien Atkins as Magnus. Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman will also return for the new season. 'In season three, Lestat's living a rock star life in its most hedonistic, authentic way,' Sam Reid says in the clip, which screened for fans in Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con. 'This show is so crazy. Every season feels entirely different,' the actor continues, teasing the various new skills he had to pick up for the music-oriented season. Jacob Anderson interjects to say he listened to Reid rehearse for two years and, based on the little clip we hear of him singing, it sounds like it paid off. The Vampire Lestat hasn't offered any kind of release date beyond 2026. You can check out one more new image from the season below. Sam Reid in Interview With The Vampire season 3 The Vampire Lestat More from A.V. Club The biggest news (so far) from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 What's on TV this week—Chief Of War and Eyes Of Wakanda R.I.P. Tom Lehrer, mathematician and musical satirist Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Announces New and Returning Cast Members
Interview With the Vampire is going on tour. The AMC show's third season, renamed The Vampire Lestat, will see the Brat Prince taking his talents on the road. And like every successful concert series, he'll need plenty of help pulling it off. Now, after the network's Anne Rice Immortal Universe panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, we know some of the people who will help him do exactly that. AMC announced the series newest cast members. Both who is appearing and who is not appearing provide clues for what awaits in both season three and beyond. Interview With the Vampire stars Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, and Eric Bogosian were on hand for AMC's bloody good panel where we learned who will join them on the show. Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman will both be back for more vampire fun as Claudia and Armand. The series will also feature a bunch of new faces. Jennifer Ehle (Lioness) is joining as Gabriella. Ella Ballentine (Black Conflux) is playing Baby Jenks. Jeanine Serralles (Apples Never Fall) has signed on to play Christine Claire. Christopher Heyerdahl (Under the Banner of Heaven) is playing Marius. And Damien Atkins (Slings & Arrows) will star as Magnus. The return of Hayles might be an indication we're getting ghost Claudia from Queen of the Damned. Or Claudia could appear as the manifestation of Lestat's guilt from Tale of the Body Thief. Ballentine's Baby Jenks also seems to be getting an earlier introduction to the story than she had in Rice's books, where she appeared in the third novel. This list of new and returning characters includes one notable absence. Akasha is not among the new cast members. It seems like Interview With the Vampire might be holding her back for the show's fourth season. While fans are eager to see her, it makes sense the series would delay her introduction. If The Vampire Lestat rocks as hard as we hope the show will need one hell of an encore to follow. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Interview With the Vampire' officially changes title for season 3, brings back 2 familiar faces
The show will now be called "The Vampire Lestat," based on Rice's book of the same name. Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) has always had main character energy, but he's taking it to the next level when he becomes a rock star in season 3 of Interview With the Vampire. Sorry, we mean The Vampire Lestat — because AMC's first Anne Rice series is officially changing its title when it returns for season 3, based on Rice's second book of the same name. As Lestat takes center stage as a rock star, of course he takes over the show's title, too. Would you expect anything less from the Brat Prince? The news was announced during the show's San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday, along with the reveal of two returning cast members: Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman. While Zaman's appearance isn't shocking since his character Armand plays a big role in the second book, it's Hayles' return that is unexpected since her character, Claudia, died (gruesomely and tragically) in season 2. Perhaps Lestat will be haunted with visions of his dead daughter as he rises to fame and reclaims his story in the public eye after his less-than-stellar portrayal in Louis du Pointe de Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Daniel Molloy's (Eric Bogosian) book. But that's not all! The show also revealed five major castings for season 3, including who will play the highly-anticipated role of Lestat's mother. Jennifer Ehle (Lioness) has been cast as Gabriella (in the book, Lestat's mother's name is Gabrielle). "It affects him greatly," Reid previously told Entertainment Weekly of Lestat's mother returning to his life this season. "She's definitely here." "If you know, you know," Anderson teased. Showrunner Rolin Jones had a little more to say: "She's coming in like an asteroid in season 3. She's about to destroy everything in her wake."Meanwhile, Ella Ballentine (Black Conflux) has been cast in the role of Baby Jenks, Jeanine Serralles (Apples Never Fall) will play the role of Christine Claire, Christopher Heyerdahl (Under the Banner of Heaven) will play Marius, and Damien Atkins (Slings & Arrows) will play Magnus. Check out a new behind-the-scenes look at The Vampire Lestat below: Interview With the Vampire season 3 — a.k.a. The Vampire Lestat — returns in 2026 on AMC. Check out more of . Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
