AMC’sImmortal Universeis expanding with new shows, with two already airing –Interview with the VampireandMayfair Witches– andanother Anne Rice spinoff in development:The Talamasca.Interview with the Vampireis the second time adapting one ofAnne Rice’sVampire Chroniclesbook seriesafter the classic 1994 movie adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. The TV series seesSam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt and Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lacin the roles Cruise and Pitt originated. In it, Louis tells investigative journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) the story of his life, both before and after becoming a vampire.
The 2002InterviewsequelQueen of the Damnedreplaced Tom Cruise with Stuart Townsend and removed the character of Louis entirely. It got overwhelmingly negative reviews and flopped at the box office.
Mayfair Witches, meanwhile, follows neurosurgeon Dr. Rowan Fielding who, after a series of troubling events at work, returns to her birthplace for answers. She learns she comes from a long line of powerful witches, but that power comes at a price as its source is an ancient, malevolent spirit known as Lasher.Alexandria Daddario brings Rowan to life in the series,while Lasher is played by Jack Huston. With AMC greenlighting so many shows based on Anne Rice’s books, however, it can be difficult to know how they tie together, or even if they connect at all.
8 Anne Rice Books To Read While Waiting For New Seasons Of Interview With The Vampire & Mayfair Witches
The world of Anne Rice is full of gems which enrich understanding of both Immortal Universe TV shows Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches.
The Immortal Universe Is Based On Anne Rice’s Popular Book Series - How The Shows Connect
The Talamasca Binds Them All Together
AMC’s Immortal Universe is based on several of Anne Rice’s book series. Currently,those book series are theVampire ChroniclesandLives of the Mayfair Witches.The third TV show in development,The Talamasca, isn’t a book series in and of itself, but it is an organization that exists in the books, and now in the shows. While theInterview with the VampireandMayfair Witchesshows haven’t crossed over yet, it’s just a matter of time until they do, just as they do in the books.
In the books,it’s arguably the Talamasca that binds all the series together.Members of the secretive organization appear in both theVampire Chroniclesand theMayfair Witchesbooks. Talamasca head David Talbot appears in multipleVampire Chroniclesbooks in a central role, but also becomes the lover of Merrick Mayfair in theMayfairseries. Aaron Lightner is another Talamasca agent who appears in both book series.
In AMC’sMayfair Witches, however, the new character of Talamasca agent Ciprien Grieve appears to be an amalgam of Aaron Lightner and another book character, Michael Curry. If any character is likely to appear in multiple series, it will be him.Interview with the Vampireseason 2 also teased a potential crossover withMayfair Witchesor the Talamasca series already,introducing the character Raglan James at the end of the season.In the books, he’s a rogue Talamasca agent kicked out of the order who becomes the primary antagonist of the bookThe Tale of the Body Thief.
Interview With The Vampire & Mayfair Witches Already Air On AMC
A Crossover Has Already Been Teased
So far,Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe has two shows currently airing,the aforementionedInterview with the VampireandMayfair Witches. Interview with the Vampirewas the first show to be adapted, which makes sense as theVampire Chroniclesbooks are far and away Anne Rice’s most popular books. The first season aired in October 2022, and the second season, which premiered in May 2024, recently wrapped.Interview with the Vampireseason 3, which will adapt the second book in the series,The Vampire Lestat, was greenlit in June 2024 before the season 2 finale even aired.
Mayfair Witchesbecame the second series adaptation in the universe, with Mayfair Witches season 1 premiering in January 2023. It was renewed the very next month in February 2023 for a season 2.Mayfair Witchesseason 2, which added several new members to the castincluding Thora Birch, Alyssa Jirrels, Ted Levine, and Ben Feldman, filmed in early 2024. A teaser trailer for season 2 was shown at this year’s SDCC, where it was announced the second season would be dropping some time in early 2025.
Of the two shows,Interview with the Vampireis by far the more popular of the two, which isn’t too much of a surprise considering the source material. The first two seasons have received rave reviews not just from critics, but also from audiences, earning praise for being one of the best-written and subversive shows on television. WhileMayfair Witcheshasn’t gotten quite the same praise, it’s clearly still strong enough that it got an immediate season 2 renewal and AMC clearly has plans for it to be an integral part of the Immortal Universe moving forward, especially with the Talamasca series on the way.
Interview with the Vampire
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A Tamalasca Show Is Still In Development
It’s Slated To Air In Late 2025
As for that series,The Talamascacould be the central hub for crossovers and connections, just as the organization itself is in the books.AMC announcedThe Talamascaas the new show in the Immortal Universein June 2024, confirming the long-bubbling rumors that the third show would indeed be about the secretive organization. It’s quite a smart decision by AMC asthe concept of the Talamasca is one that can tie all the series together,easily allowing for changes to be made to the books while still thematically tying them all together and allowing for crossovers.
The Talamascacould be the central hub for crossovers and connections, just as the organization itself is in the books.
In Anne Rice’s books, the Talamasca, more formally known as the Order of the Talamasca, is a secret society whose purpose is to monitor, investigate, and, if needed, contain the supernatural creatures of the world. However,the Talamasca aren’t necessarily antagonistic toward these supernatural beings. In fact, multiple Talamasca characters in the books befriended or became lovers of vampires or witches, or became vampires themselves. Many in the Talamasca possess, if not supernatural abilities, then psychic ones.
Currently, AMC is moving along quickly with the Talamasca spinoff, which had been rumored for a year before the official confirmation. At the time of confirmation,it was reported that the spinoff series would be going into production in late 2024with the goal of hitting TV screens in the latter half of 2025. IfMayfair Witchesseason 2 andThe Talamascaseason 1 stick to their projected release windows, then AMC’sImmortal Universecan get into a nice release rhythm in the next few years, with a new season of one of the series coming out roughly every six months to three quarters of a year.
Immortal Universe
Based on Anne Rice’s various novel series, such as The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Immortal Universe is a gothic-horror fantasy media franchise created by AMC and spearheaded by Anne Rice’s son, Christopher Rice, following her passing. The franchise began in 2022 with a television adaptation of Interview with the Vampire and was continued in 2023 with Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.
