Summary
Legendary horror and fantasy author Anne Rice populated her novels with supernatural characters, and many of them could appear in AMC’s upcomingThe Talamascashow. The release ofInterview with the Vampireon TV in 2022 marked the launch of AMC’s Immortal Universe, a new American franchise dedicated to televising the fictional world of Anne Rice in all its glory.The Talamascawill constitute the third show in the franchise, followingMayfair WitchesandInterview With the Vampire, and may feature characters both familiar and new.
The TalamascaTV showwas green-lit and described as a paranormal “procedural spy thriller” by producer Mark Johnson (viaAMC). This suggests that the show may explore a monster per episode. This leaves it open to dive into the vampires, psychics, witches, and supernatural beings that make Anne Rice’s world unique. In doing so, it would be able to explore crossovers with the other Anne Rice shows in the franchise.
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10Aaron Lightner
The Witching Hour
Aaron Lightner was a member of the Talamasca inThe Witching Hour,by Anne Rice, setting him up as a strong candidate to be a character inAMC’s upcoming Talamasca-focused show.The Witching Houris the first of Anne Rice’sThe Lives of the Mayfair Witchestrilogy. In the book,Lightner featured in some of the settings broadcast on AMC’sMayfair WitchesTV show, spending his time studying the Mayfair witches and interacting with both Rowan Mayfair and Lasher.
Mayfair Witchesseason 2 may air in late 2024.
In the novel, Lightner was a Talamasca member that could read people’s minds and move objects by telepathy. This elderly British gentleman would fit perfectly into a paranormal procedural about Anne Rice’s secretive organization.Mayfair Witchesleft him out, possibly using its original character, Ciprien Grieve, in his stead.The Talamascais AMC’s opportunity to put this right and bring more age diversity to the Immortal Universe.
9Lasher
A key character in Anne Rice’sThe Witching Hourand a supernatural being with great power, Lasher was watched by the Talamasca for many years. The second book inThe Lives of the Mayfair Witchestrilogy was named after him, andhe was the driving character behind a lot of the trilogy’s plot. Considering his importance, it wouldn’t be surprising if he featured inThe Talamascashow in some way.
The Lives of the Mayfair Witchestrilogy of books includesThe Witching Hour, followed byLasher, which is followed byTaltos.
Lasher was a main character inMayfair Witchesseason 1.Therefore, his storyline inMayfair Witchesseason 2, and any ensuing seasons, will inevitably affect if and how he appears inThe Talamasca. If Lasher does not appear, perhaps another of his species will. There is ample material fit for adaptation on Lasher’s species inTaltos, the third ofThe Lives of the Mayfair Witchestrilogy.
8Michael Curry
Despite being replaced by the original character Ciprien Grieve in TV showMayfair Witches,The Witching Hourcharacter Michael Curry may yet appear in the Immortal Universe franchise.Michael Curry was a member of the Talamascaand Rowan’s lover in Anne Rice’s books, whereas this role seems to have been assumed by Ciprien Grieve in the show. Immortal Universe could useThe Talamascaas an opportunity to adapt this important Anne Rice character, where it failed to do so forMayfair Witches.
It might be jarring or confusing to include Michael Curry on-screen in Immortal Universe, since Rowan is in love with someone else already. However, as with Aaron Lightner,The Talamascamay still include Michael Curry as he is one of the main psychic members of the Talamasca described in the books, offering valuable source material for an adaptation. Although unlikely,the show could kill off Ciprien Grieveas some kind of narrative plot device, making way for Michael Curry to enter Rowan’s life. However, it is more likely that if Curry was included, he would be more marginalized in the plot.
7Merrick Mayfair
Merrick
Merrick Mayfair is a member of the Talamasca from the books that has never been adapted for the screen, providing AMC with a blank canvas character for its third show. Appearing in Anne Rice’sThe Vampire Chroniclesseries,Merrick is the character for which theMerricknovel is titled. This novel follows the activities of Mayfair witch, Merrick, as she consorts with characters from bothThe Vampire ChroniclesandThe Lives of the Mayfair Witches.
In the Anne Rice books, Merrick had crucial relationships with David Talbot and Louis de Pointe du Lac. David Talbot was the Superior General of the Talamasca and may well appear in the new show, making Merrick’s involvement in it more likely.Louis already appeared in Immortal Universe as the main character ofInterview with the Vampire, so addingMerrick toThe Talamascawould enable AMC to build on Louis' character and amplify its other series. This could work via Merrick discussing or meeting Louis in the show. This makes Merrick’s appearance inThe Talamascaeven more likely.
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6Maharet
The Queen of the Damned
Maharet is a red-haired vampire fromThe Queen of the Damned, the third of Anne Rice’sThe Vampire Chronicles, and wasrelated to Talamasca member Jesse Reeves. Indeed, Anne Rice actually introduced the Talamasca inThe Queen of the Damned. As such, insofar as the books are concerned, it is a key story for the secret society.
The ancient Maharet was instrumental in vampire history, whichThe Talamascacould explore through her.
Maharet, played by Lena Olin, featured in the 2002Queen of the Damnedmovie, proving her importance to the ongoing narrative in Anne Rice’s world. WithInterview with the Vampirefocusing on Louis and Lestat, andMayfair Witchesfocusing on the Mayfairs,it’s easy to imagineThe Talamascafocusing more on Maharet and Jesse. The ancient Maharet was instrumental in vampire history, whichThe Talamascacould explore through her. All said and done, Maharet could definitely appear in Immortal Universe’s third TV show.
5Rowan Mayfair
As the main character ofAnne Rice’sMayfair WitchesTV series, Rowan Mayfair already met the Talamasca in season 1, and could be due to meet them again inThe TalamascaTV show. The group played a big part in guiding Rowan, following her mother’s death and induction into the Mayfair family.Rowan is not the only witch in the Mayfair family, so perhaps she could be a consultant throughout Mayfair-related incidents onThe TalamascaTV show.
Appearing all throughoutThe Lives of the Mayfair Witchestrilogy,Rowan is the main character, but also a foil for other witches. Mayfair witches, in all their differing beliefs, constitute a microcosm in the Anne Rice world, each representing a different way of life.The Talamascawould do well to notice this, playing up the differences between Rowan and other witches it could portray.
4Louis de Pointe du Lac
Interview with the Vampire
A lead character in theInterview with the Vampirebook and TV show, Louis’ enduring popularity and ties to the Talamasca make him a likely candidate for a cameo inThe TalamascaTV show. Although a morally grey character,Louis is perhaps the main protagonistof allInterview with the Vampirecharacters. His appearance inThe Talamascawould provide a natural peak in an episode or storyline, and probably boost viewing figures.
Louis’ actor, Jacob Anderson, said toNewsweek"I do get a sense that people feel like we did right by the characters.” This sentiment is carried forward because Anderson’s conflicted Louis is aperfect reflection of the character that Anne Rice wrote, despite not following the books to the letter. This strong characterization would provide a good anchor forThe Talamascaamid original characters, which there will probably be a lot of, as there is no single book based completely on the group.
3David Talbot
As Superior General of the Talamasca,David Talbot is one of the Anne Rice characters most likely to appear inThe Talamasca. David Talbot was not just head of the clandestine group, but a fledgling and partner of Lestat’s. This creates great potential to develop Lestat, who already has a leading role inInterview with the Vampire.
Controversial points notwithstanding, David was a great leader of the Talamasca, and also the character most able to control Lestat.
AMC may hesitate to adapt David Talbot for the screen,owing to some problematic elements of his character in the books. For instance, David expressed attraction towards minors, despite being an elderly man. This was complicated further by him swapping bodies with a younger man. Despite all this, he never acted on this attraction in the books. Controversial points notwithstanding, David was a great leader of the Talamasca, and also the character most able to control Lestat. David would be a good character to adapt inThe Talamasca, if the show was careful not to endorse problematic behavior.
2Jesse Reeves
As one of the main Talamasca members described in the Anne Rice books, Jesse Reeves is one of the Anne Rice characters more likely to appear in the TV show.Talamasca sleuth Jesse Reeves was Maharet’s descendant, and the heir to superhuman powers like seeing ghosts. Maharet was a witch before she became a vampire, so Jesse was too - her powers eventually attracted the Talamasca, which recruited her. In this way, Jesse would be a good entry point for viewers unfamiliar with Anne Rice’s world and characters, allowing viewers to familiarize themselves with the occult organization alongside Jesse.
If this story doesn’t appear inThe Talamasca, it will likely be paralleled by an original character. However,it would be good for the show to include Jesse Reeves due to her relationship with Lestat. As one of Lestat’s many partners over the centuries, Jesse was a counterpoint for his other lovers. InThe Talamasca, AMC could shine a light on the power dynamic between Jesse and Lestat with all the contemporary insight that it applied toInterview with the Vampire. Jesse’s critical position inThe Queen of the Damnedbook could well be reflected on screens in the next Immortal Universe show.
1Lestat de Lioncourt
The Vampire Lestat
Lestat de Lioncourt is probably Anne Rice’s most iconic character, and possibly one of the most iconic characters in literature, so he would make a great addition toThe Talamasca. Lestat was more than just friends with both Jesse and David, both prominent members of the Talamasca. If any Immortal Universe character deserves more screen time, it’s Lestat.
The Talamascamay run only off original characters, which would help it exist in its own narrative, without having to adhere to the timelines of other Immortal Universe shows. However, if Lestat briefly stepped intoThe Talamasca, along with Jesse and perhaps David, AMC could keep bringing contemporary life to some of horror’s most nuanced characters. Sam Reid’s whimsical, tyrannical, and somehow sympathetic Lestat represents everything pioneering about Anne Rice - Lestat defies categorization to remain a character just as easy to hate as he is to love.
Sources:AMC,Newsweek
Immortal Universe
Based on Anne Rice’s various novel series, such as The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Immortal Universe is a gothic-horror fantasy media franchise created by AMC and spearheaded by Anne Rice’s son, Christopher Rice, following her passing. The franchise began in 2022 with a television adaptation of Interview with the Vampire and was continued in 2023 with Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.
