Temple of Geek attended New York Comic Con last weekend and joined the press conference to discuss the new show in Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe, “Talamasca: The Secret Order”. The Talamasca will be familiar to fans of both the books and the “Interview with the Vampire” show. This story shines a light on the secretive society responsible for tracking and containing the witches, vampires, and other creatures around the globe. The story is told through the eyes of Guy Anatole as he’s unexpectedly pulled into this world. Attending the panel were Nicholas Denton (Guy Anatole), William Fichtner (Jasper), Mark Johnson (Executive Producer), and John Lee Hancock (Executive Producer/Director/Writer).

Adapting a Story Without Direct Source Material

The team talked about how the story of “Talamasca: The Secret Order” came about. There is no book specifically about the Talamasca, but the organization is peppered throughout Anne Rice’s writing. Namely in the books “The Vampire Chronicals” and “Lives of the Mayfair Witches”. Audiences of the show will be familiar with the Talamasca, which appear in Part 2 of “Interview With the Vampire” on AMC.

There was a certain grounding in understanding of this organization, this clandestine organization, extremely well-funded, which its members, its functionaries, are meant to keep tabs on the otherworldly going on in our universe, but not interfere, just to keep tabs.
– Mark Johnson (Executive Producer)

As Johnson considered the story for this secretive society, he realized “it it fits very well into the spy genre.” And called up Hancock to write it. The fact that there was no book specifically about the Talamasca was “a bit of a blessing” says Hancock. While readers got a good sense of what the Talamasca was and how they operated, they’re still left with a lot of unanswered questions. Hancock set out to answer those questions.

I looked at that as an opportunity to hopefully fill that out with the questions that I had about the Talamasca. When I read everything that Anne had written about it, I had a lot of basic questions. Did they hide it inside? What are their offices? These mother houses, do they have a sign? And you ring the bell and go in? How do they recruit? What do they pay? How are they funded? Do they have a vacation? Do they have an HR department? I mean, I had a million questions. And I decided I really wanted to ground them in the world and put them on the street.
– John Lee Hancock (Executive Producer/Director/Writer)

Bringing Guy and Jasper Into Anne Rice’s Universe

Denton prioritized honoring Anne Rice’s writing and creating a morally ambiguous character that fits into the established world. Characters in the Anne Rice universe, such as Louis and Lestat, and those in this show as well, have their own needs and desires.

What I liked and I wanted to honor about Anne Rice’s world was essentially having these morally ambiguous characters and playing into that with Guy. And his skepticism, his journey, and making sure that he wasn’t one note. He made his own decisions and had his own intentions at the forefront of his mission.
– Nicholas Denton (Guy Anatole)

Fichtner and Hancock had freedom with Jasper, a new character created for the show. Fichtner, with direction and guidance from the team, created a new interpretation of a vampire in this world and put his own spin on Jasper.

I kind of had a blank slate, which was lovely… There’s nothing more fun than discovering a journey fresh. And it’s not like I had to mirror something or come up with a new interpretation. I really could walk where I wanted to go.
– William Fichtner (Jasper)

The Relationship between Guy and Jasper

A Talamasca spy and a vampire don’t seem like a likely duo, especially in this story. However the two eventually cross paths in a precarious way. And as Denton said earlier, each character in “Talamasca: The Secret Order” has their own wants and needs. This seems to create a volatile dynamic between the two.

I find it just an absolutely fascinating set of circumstances because Jasper’s very clear about the things that he wants. But he’s certainly open to have anybody that comes along that he thinks that can helping him. And when he meets Guy, this is almost like, “Oh, I get the cake and the cherry on top too.” This could be really cool.
– William Fichtner (Jasper)

And our relationship, it has so many peaks and troughs– it has a really– it has a really quite complex conclusion to it. And it’ll be very interesting for audiences to watch that because there’s a lot of mixed emotions throughout. It’s like a relationship.
– Nicholas Denton (Guy Anatole)

However they were pretty coy on the specific nature of Guy and Jasper’s relationship, wanting to keep it a surprise for audiences. What we do know is that Fichtner worked the most with Denton while filming this show.

I don’t want to give away too much, but we kind of run the gambit on the good times and the bad times.
– William Fichtner (Jasper)

In the show, every relationship is a negotiation in progress. You can see that. It’s a lot of quid pro quo. Sometimes you may not realize what someone was negotiating with or the position they were negotiating from until later, but they were negotiating.
– John Lee Hancock (Executive Producer/Director/Writer)

Trust, Instinct, and Motivation Driving Guy

Something Denton learned about playing Guy is instinct and trust. “The things that come from you are right” says Denton. Once Guy is forced to give up control at the start of the story, he has no choice but to trust himself and his instincts. In contrast to other characters Denton has played in the past that have been very guarded with a shield in front of them.

He has nothing else but to trust everything that’s inside of him and go after that in a very raw way. And I like playing that because it feels real. And it feels- it’s easy to get access because if you believe it, you can just go and do it. And I think Guy begins to trust his judgment and his instinct. And that’s why I like about playing that.
– Nicholas Denton (Guy Anatole)

Guy’s primary motivation is the search for his true identity. As he uncovers secrets about his past, he is forced to question who is telling the truth and who has lied to him. Denton summarizes this difficult journey of discovery with the desperate cry: “Who the hell am I?” This profound internal conflict instantly creates a character the audience can connect with.

I think the thing that makes it accessible for an audience, for Guy, is that a lot of people have been in situations where they’ve existed in stories that aren’t necessarily their own. And I think that guy has been in that situation his whole life. And all he wants to know is who am I?
– Nicholas Denton (Guy Anatole)

Denton also met a real life spy which helped him prepare for this role. From how to interact with the world, the psychological nature of being a spy, and how they go after a specific subject.

I was lucky I met a spy as prep for this job. And they kind of informed me a lot about how a spy interacts with the world. […] Although Guy is really a reluctant spy, someone who doesn’t really have any formal training, albeit what he’s learned very quickly.
– Nicholas Denton (Guy Anatole)

What’s Next for Talamasca?

“A second season would be nice” says Hancock, when asked what’s in store for the future of the show. This first season creates a great foundation for the Talamasca organization and sets up the groundwork around the characters and relationships to continue growing.

It’s amazing that you can pull so many different stories out of what probably began as a notion for [Anne Rice], the idea of the Talamasca. They grew into an organization that she peppered throughout. […] And to be able to kind of take that on and to keep building, building, building with it– that’s what I want to see.
– John Lee Hancock (Executive Producer/Director/Writer)

Watch “Talamasca: The Secret Order”

Watch a sneak peek from the first episode of “Talamasca: The Secret Order” below. The first 2 episodes of will be premiering October 26th on AMC and AMC+. And make sure you catch up on the first 2 seasons of “Interview of the Vampire” on Netflix and AMC+, and “The Mayfair Witches” Seasons 1 and 2 also on Netflix and AMC+.

Want more about of the Anne Rice universe? Check out our coverage of “The Vampire Lestat” press conference, Canadian filming locations and cast announcements. And our deep dive on South Asian representation with Assad Zaman as Armand.