This is a part Sam Reid has been dying to sink his teeth into.
Reid–who plays the pivotal role of Lestat de Lioncourt in the upcoming AMC adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1976 horror masterpiece Interview with the Vampire–went into the part with high expectations–and not a little trepidation.
Interview with the Vampire–set to hit AMC and AMC+ Oct. 2–has been a favorite of Reid’s for some time. When asked about the horror bestseller, the actor told comicbook.com that he is “super-familiar” with it. “I’m a huge fan of the books–a huge fan,” he said.
Reid added that when he first heard about the AMC project, he was “really hopeful that I had the opportunity to audition for it.” He said there were “huge amounts of pressure because you want to make sure you live up to the character in the world that you love so much.”
Despite this pressure, Reid said the project was “an extraordinary opportunity and gift and privilege to be able to be a part of it.”
The seven-episode first season of the series–led by creator and showrunner Colin Jones and director Alan Taylor–follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), Lestat and Claudia (Bailey Bass) in an “epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian),” according to the logline.
Knowing the limitations of being a Black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis “finds it impossible to resist Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion. But Louis’ new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling–the child vampire Claudia–soon sets them on a long path of revenge and atonement.”
The cast is rounded out by Assad Zaman as Rashid and Kalyne Coleman as Grace, Louis’ sister.
The series will draw somewhat on the 1994 feature film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, but will feature some time and character shifts. Executive producer Mark Johnson said it was important to modernize the series, always remembering “it is imperative we do not disappoint (Anne Rice’s) fans. We need to make sure this story–these characters–sing for a modern audience.”
Johnson added that what Rice created “and what her fans have been transfixed by forces us to take this book-to-television show transition with a great deal of responsibility. Developing this series carries great pressure.”
Keep reading Horror News Network for the next update on Interview with the Vampire on AMC.
