On Saturday, Anne Rice announced she had regained the film and TV show rights of her ‘Vampire Chronicles’ books on her Facebook page. The author also said she was already working on a TV adaptation with her son Christopher.
The news of the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ TV series comes on the eve of a new release of the book franchise.
The latest title in the series, ‘Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis’ will hit bookstores on November 29.
The acclaimed gothic fiction author said both fans and her wanted to make a ‘Game of Thrones’-like production out of the ‘Vampire Chronicles.’ No casting or TV networks have claimed attachment to the Anne Rice pilot and project yet.
‘Interview with the Vampire’ won’t be a part of Anne Rice’s show
The title which propelled the book franchise to fame will not come to the small screen. On her announcement, Anne Rice said the starting point of the TV show would be ‘The Vampire Lestat,’ the second book of the series.
“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 begin with ‘The Vampire Lestat’ and move on from there,” Rice said.
‘Interview with the Vampire’ is perhaps most famous for its 1994 film adaptation starring Tom Cruise as Lestat and Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Kirsten Dunst in supporting roles.
Anne Rice wants a show that rivals Game of Thrones in scope
Anne Rice having the theatrical rights of ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ back is significant in its own merit, for the main titles of the series comprise 12 books. Six additional works stem from ‘The Vampire Chronicles.’
The prospect of making something as big and good as ‘Game of Thrones’ in scale does not worry fans of the author either. The claim immediately prompted parallels between G.R.R. Martin and Rice, although the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ author is older than Martin.
Rice is currently 75 years old, and the 18 books of ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ series and associated works could each take between one and two years to develop into a TV season.
Fans await the announcement of which network will pick up the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ pilot and future full-fledged series. While many have pointed at HBO for obvious reasons, others have noted Showtime has an open slot after the finale of ‘Penny Dreadful’ last summer.
Anne Rice said she would not sit with producers of any network until having a complete vision of the TV adaptation. Her son Christopher Rice will be attached to the show as an executive producer.
Source: Facebook