Finally Anne Rice‘s “The Vampire Chornicles” is being released in a live-action format that can potentially do proper justice to the series – television. While it is hard to fault ‘Interview with the Vampire’, it is too vast and complex of a series to be continued in films, but a properly done ongoing show would be able to adapt most of the books if done right. While we’ve known that just such a series was being circulated through the studios we’ve just learned that Paramount TV & Anonymous have officially teamed up to bring this idea to life!
Anne’s son Christopher Rice will be writing the series, and the pair will serve as Executive Producers along with Anonymous Content’s David Kanter and Steve Golin. While a network or streaming service hasn’t officially signed with them quite yet, there are 11 books of source material and a built in fanbase so it shouldn’t be long before one is on board. My only hope here is that they go with a service like Netflix or premium channel like HBO to be able to properly do all of the content justice.
According to Paramount TV President Amy Powell:
“It is undeniable that Anne Rice has created the paradigm against which all vampire stories are measured. The rich and vast world she has created with The Vampire Chronicles is unmatched and sophisticated with 90’s gothic undertones that will be perfectly suited to captivate audiences. The series is full of compelling characters led by Lestat, arguably one of the greatest original characters, literary or otherwise.”
Probably the hardest piece of casting that the series will have to do is find someone who can have the compelling nature of Lestat for viewers, and it will be interesting to see who ends up playing the part.
Anonymous Content’s David Kanter added:
“Together with our partners at Paramount Television, we are embarking on a fantastic journey with Anne and Christopher Rice to bring Anne’s unparalleled imagination to television at the moment when the medium is experiencing a global apex in the demand for the most outstanding, exciting and heightened premium dramatic programming.”
Kanter isn’t the only one excited for this venture as according to Ann Rice:
“In this unique golden age of television, I couldn’t ask for a finer or more passionate team to help bring my beloved vampire hero, Lestat, alive in a series of the highest quality. This is a dream come true, both for me and for Christopher and for the fans who have been asking to see the Brat Prince in this medium for years.”
It really is the perfect medium for an ongoing series. This gives a network the chance to accurately tell the story of Lestat and his companions and one would hope that if they want to tell the complete story that we’ll be getting the equivalent of a book a season. As breaking it up further would likely be too long for television.
For Chris Rice writing the series, his excitement also shows:
“The first great day for me on this project was when my mother asked me to partner with her on it. The second, is the announcement of this thrilling partnership with Paramount Television and Anonymous Content. For decades now, fans of The Vampire Chronicles have been clamoring for a long-form television adaptation of this galaxy of content.”
I can only hope that he goes for a book a season, but I’m sure that however, he handles it will be done in his voice while still properly telling his mother’s iconic tales. Personally, this is one of the more exciting television projects that I’m looking forward to seeing come together.
Are you looking forward to another outing with Lestat? Do you think that a televised version of Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles” is the way to go? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Deadline
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
