TV audiences in recent years have proved that they're more than willing to tune into genre series, and shows like True Blood and the still-beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even The Vampire Diaries indicate that vampires can drive good drama. Now, some of the most iconic vampire stories in the history of literature will be adapted into a brand new series on the small screen. Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles saga of books (which inspired the 1994 film Interview With the Vampire) is being actively developed for television.
Paramount Television and Anonymous Content have officially optioned the rights to The Vampire Chronicles. Variety reports that the deal gives the rights for all 11 books of the saga, which has been a consistent best-seller for author Anne Rice. The books have featured a number of vampires, but the stories have mostly centered on the vampire known as Lestat. Readers have followed his adventures, ranging from his origins as a vampire to his exploits over the many, many years since.
Anne Rice is on board as an executive producer for the new series, and she'll be joined by her son Christopher, who is a successful writer in his own right. In fact, Christopher Rice will write the series for Paramount and Anonymous Content. For folks who love the book series and/or the two movies based on the novels, the news of the TV project should be pretty exciting, especially considering that the lore queen Anne Rice herself will have a hand in production.
News of the Vampire Chronicles TV series moving forward is a good sign. Anne Rice announced via Facebook in November 2016 that the theatrical rights for The Vampire Chronicles were finally back in her hands, and she was free to do what she wanted with them. At the time, she revealed that "a television series of the highest quality is now my dream for Lestat, Louis, Armand, Marius, and the entire tribe." She was pretty clear on her intentions to take her stories to the small screen next, but she didn't have any details about official deals being struck. For all we knew, a TV project was still years away from even beginning development.
Of course, the deal with Paramount and Anonymous Content doesn't exactly guarantee that we'll see new versions of Lestat and Co. on TV any time too soon. There are undoubtedly still a lot of details that need to be settled, not the least of which are the actors who will play the iconic characters from Anne Rice's popular books. I don't envy the casting directors who will need to find the right people to play the parts that have so entranced readers for years and years.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV vampire news, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well.
