It looks like The Vampire Chronicles could be heading to the small screen, with author Anne Rice revealing on Facebook that she has regained the theatrical rights to the book series, and is working on a pilot for a TV adaptation of the novels.
“The theatrical rights to the Vampire Chronicles are once again in my hands, free and clear,” said Rice. “I could not be more excited about this! A television series of the highest quality is now my dream for Lestat, Louis, Armand, Marius and the entire tribe. In this the new Golden Age of television, such a series is THE way to let the entire story of the vampires unfold. My son Christopher Rice and I will be developing a pilot script and a detailed outline for an open ended series, faithfully presenting Lestat’s story as it is told in the books, complete with the many situations that readers expect to see. We will likely begin with The Vampire Lestat and move on from there.”
“As many of you know, Universal Studios and Imagine Entertainment had optioned the series to develop motion pictures from it, and though we had the pleasure of working with many fine people in connection with this plan, it did not work out,” she continued. “It is, more than ever, abundantly clear that television is where the vampires belong. Over the years you all have told me how much you want to see a Game of Thrones style faithful rendering of this material, and how much you want for the series to remain in my control. Well, I have heard you. I have always heard you. What you want is what I want. You, the readers, made these books a success before any movie was ever made based on them, and I will never forget that fact.”
The Vampire Chronicles launched in 1976 with the publication of Interview with the Vampire, and has spawned a further ten instalments, with an eleventh sequel – Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis – set for publication this coming week on November 29th. Interview with the Vampire was adapted for the big screen in 1994, starring Tom Cruise as Lestat, while Stuart Townsend took on the role for 2002’s Queen of the Damned.
Originally published November 27, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
