AMC cast Australian actor Sam Reid as the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt in the Anne Rice series, Interview with the Vampire. This is a big deal for Lestat fans. Reid is the third actor to take on the role. Tom Cruise was the first to play Lestat in the 1994 adaptation of Rice’s book. Stuart Townsend took on the role in the adaptation of the third book Queen of the Damned. Needless to say, Cruise’s performance has gone unmatched so far. Reid has some big shoes to fill.

Based on the book by Rice, Interview with the Vampire is the first book in The Vampire Chronicles. There are 14 total books as of now. The first book introduces the audience into a secret world of Vampires that spans centuries and to the seductive protagonist, Lestat, who becomes the focal point of the entire saga. 

So who is Sam Reid? As stated above, he’s an Australian actor, age 34 and really hasn’t been in anything that the US mainstream audiences have seen … maybe. So he’s basically unknown. And I think that works best. There are so many expectations for this role. If they had cast a known actor, it could have change the viewer’s perceptions of the story. Since Rice is very involved in the project, I expect Reid to be a good fit. 

Rice took over the production of any of The Vampire Chronicles adaptations after she bought back the rights to the books. Since then, she and her son Christopher Rice have been writing scripts and shopping for producers, directors, and networks. 

Rolin Jones will serve as showrunner for Interview with the Vampire. The pilot will be directed by Alan Taylor. No other casting announcements are available at this time. 

Lestat fans! Let us know what you think in the comments. 

The Interview with the Vampire series is expected to premiere in 2022.

AMC Greenlights Anne Rice’s INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Series

 

 

 

 

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