Anne Rice's best-selling novel, Interview With the Vampire, is being turned into a TV series for AMC and its streaming service, AMC+, to premiere in 2022.
Additionally, AMC Networks acquired the rights in 2020 to Rice's catalog, which includes the Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches series. The upcoming Interview With the Vampire series, which will consist of an eight-episode first season, is the first title under the deal to be greenlit.
Executive producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) will spearhead the Anne Rice franchise with the hopes of turning it into AMC's next franchise. Rolin Jones (Perry Mason, Friday Night Lights) will oversee Interview With the Vampire as creator, showrunner and executive producer, while Anne and Christopher Rice are non-writing executive producers.
“The challenge of adapting for television the groundbreaking and immensely compelling work of Anne Rice is both intimidating and exhilarating,” Johnson said in a statement. “Having previously produced films from such singular works, I recognize both the responsibility and the obligation we owe the material. I strongly believe that with AMC and Rolin Jones we are equipped to meet this challenge and to thrill and entertain both the loyal Anne Rice fan and the viewer who is just now discovering her work.”
"In 1973, a grieving mother and extraordinary writer began what would become the finest Vampire novel ever written (all respects to Mr. Stoker),” Jones said. “Nearly 50 years later we know what’s expected of us. We know how much this book and the ones that follow mean to their massive fan base. We feel you over our shoulders as we tend the Savage Garden. Louis and Lestat are coming out of hiding and we can’t wait to re-unite them with you."
Originally published in 1976, Interview With the Vampire was adapted for the big screen in 1994 with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas and Thandiwe Newton. It earned $224 million at the worldwide box office and received two Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score. Dunst also scored a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
“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.”
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