On Friday October 10th, right before the Anne Rice Panel at New York Comic Con, our Temple of Geek team was invited to the “The Vampire Lestat” Press Conference to discuss the new season. In attendance were Hannah Moscovitch (Executive Producer/Writer) and Mark Johnson (Executive Producer), Sam Reid (Lestat de Lioncourt), Jacob Anderson (Louis de Point du Lac) and Eric Bogosian (Daniel Malloy).
Lestat de Lioncourt’s Journey of Self Discovery
Season Three titled “The Vampire Lestat” will follow Reid’s character, Lestat de Lioncourt, as the lead. The central theme lies on his journey of self discovery as well as grappling with his ego. When asked if Lestat knows who or what he is, Reid stated “that’s the journey” and is essentially “the whole season.”
I think if we had an answer, I don’t think we’d have a show. So does he does he know who and what he is? I think that’s the journey, isn’t it? To try and work that out. Yeah. That’s the whole season.
– Sam Reid (Lestat de Lioncourt)
Lestat Reclaiming The Narrative
Lestat is reclaiming his story because he has read Louis’s book, which is a real thing that has come out. Reid noted that Lestat’s ego is a constant factor he is dealing with, as he is a vampire who “takes himself very, very seriously” in a modern world that may not. By singing songs about himself, he will be forced to examine centuries of horror he’s ignored, leading to “all sorts of fucked up things” happening.
What do you get when you put a vampire who takes himself very, very seriously in a position that is not really taken very seriously in the year 2025 when we’re dealing with kind of everything shocking at any given moment.
– Sam Reid (Lestat de Lioncourt)
When asked if Lestat reclaim of the narrative is out of love or ego Reid answers Lestat’s love for Louis “should just be taken as a given,” and that love “is always going to inform kind of everything that he does anyway.”
The Music and Inspiration for Lestat
In this season, Lestat is portrayed as an artist who expresses and explores his feelings through music, though the season is “not a musical.”
Reid answers that his playlist has the “most eclectic taste” possible, as he is a couple of centuries old and has taken something from everywhere. Reid’s key performance inspiration was David Bowie’s “Cracked Actor” bootleg concert videos, focusing on the sense of showmanship, magic, and mystery.
The show is utilizing real musicians in the band, and sound technicians are live mixing the sound.
Louis’ Journey and Grappling with His Past
This season no longer has an unreliable narrative through Louis, which makes an interesting shift for his character. Anderson says it’s difficult to talk about his journey and that he doesn’t want to spoil it for the audience.
I’m not being evasive, I promise. It’s just very difficult to talk about Louis’ journey and season three, because so much of it is… It’s the invention of Rolin [Jones] and Hannah [Moscovitch] and the writers. And it’s really fun stuff that I wouldn’t want to ruin.
– Jacob Anderson (Louis de Point du Lac)
Louis’s world has basically fallen apart in the span of 11 days while the interview was taking place. We last see Louis at the end of Season 2 defiantly taking on the entire vampire world by stating he “owns the night.” But he still has a lot to work through. The loss of his “daughter” Claudia. The explosive end of his 77 year relationship built on a lie.
Let’s say your daughter dies and you put a yellow dress up on the wall to honor her. That’s not actually going to fix it, right? Like, how long will that really work? And you can say you want to own the night all your life. But that’s going to come in waves.
– Hannah Moscovitch (Executive Producer/Writer)
A Hurricane of Emotions for Louis
Anderson and Moscovitch describe the emotional turmoil Louis is experiencing “like a hurricane.” It’s brewing beneath the surface and Louis may not be aware of. We’ve seen Louis “crash out” before in Season 2 when he plans and executes his revenge on the the vampire coven. And it looks like his past is going to come back again to haunt him.
Quite often those people are like, my life is fixed. I found this. And I found that. And I’m doing this. And I’m doing this thing now. […] But, those people quite often […] crash out. There comes a point where, you know, you suddenly lose energy. And the truth comes to light again.
– Jacob Anderson (Louis de Point du Lac)It comes to get you.
– Hannah Moscovitch (Executive Producer/Writer)
How Turning into a Vampire is Affecting Daniel
Bogosian notes that Daniel’s late-life transformation into a vampire generates significant internal turmoil for him this season. Daniel lived a full life as a human; now immortal, he carries all that experience directly into his new existence.
To be turned later in life means you’re going to carry more of what you were into this other thing, which is not human. You’re a vampire, you’re something else. It’s another dimension. But he is laden with all of this. […] a big part for me anyway, is Daniel wrestling with the endless contradictions of being suddenly immortal.
– Eric Bogosian (Daniel Molloy)
Daniel faces a central conflict: his line of work, dedicated to the pursuit of truth and logic, now clashes directly with the reality of immortal beings. He struggles to reconcile becoming a vampire, a creature he always dismissed as legend.
For a man who spends his life being an investigative journalist and thinks very logically, the world of vampires is not logical. These guys don’t do logical things. So that really bends his mind and it creates a lot of stress in this third season. It’s hard for him. It’s hard. And fun.
– Eric Bogosian (Daniel Molloy)
Daniel’s Relationship with Armand
One more complication is Daniel’s relationship with Armand, the vampire who turns him. In “Interview with the Vampire” we see a tension form between the two characters with Armand ultimately sparing young Daniel’s life. But what will the new season hold? Is it love, romance, or something else?
I feel that Armand’s love for Daniel is like when a kid has a stuffed animal and he drags it around with him for like years. So it just has one button for one eye. He really loves that little stuffed animal. So as romantic as that could be.
– Eric Bogosian (Daniel Molloy)
When Will “The Vampire Lestat” Release?
“The Vampire Lestat” premieres in 2026 on AMC and AMC+. Watch the trailer below.
Catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 of “Interview of the Vampire” on Netflix and AMC+, and more from the Immortal Universe with “The Mayfair Witches” Seasons 1 and 2 also on Netflix and AMC+. Season 1 of “Talamasca: The Secret Order” premiers October 26th on AMC and AMC+.
Want more about of the Anne Rice universe? Check out our coverage:
“Talamasca: The Secret Order” press conference.
Canadian filming locations and cast annoucements.
Deep dive on South Asian representation with Assad Zaman as Armand.
