“The Vampire Lestat” feels closer than over. After months of surviving off of low-quality set pictures and cryptic teasers from cast and crew, New York Comic Con brought some major updates for “Interview with the Vampire” season three, including an official teaser trailer. AMC took over NYCC with panels featuring cast and producers from both “Talamasca” and “The Vampire Lestat” a couple weeks ago. “The Vampire Lestat” panel featured executive producer Mark Johnson and executive producer and writer Hannah Moscovitch, alongside cast members Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, Jennifer Ehle, Eric Bogosian, and Assad Zaman.
Panel Highlights
Without wasting any time, perhaps the most exciting part of the panel was the casting announcement for Akasha. After a long period of anticipation, we now know our Akasha will be played by the amazing Sheila Atim. And while the notorious mother of vampires may present big shoes to fill, Atim is no stranger to inhabiting powerful women. Her credits include “The Woman King,” “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” and “The Underground Railroad.” Besides film, the Ugandan-British actress also has an extensive theatre background. She has performed at Shakespeare’s Globe and won the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical award at the 2018 Oliviers. The commitment to pulling actors with theatre backgrounds, much like Assad Zaman who plays Armand, is one aspect of the show that makes it stand out from others. We’re all excited to see what new depths Atim will bring to this beloved and feared character.
Speaking of newcomers to the Immortal Universe, Jennifer Ehle made her first appearance at NYCC. She will be playing Lestat’s mother turned vampire, Gabriella, also known as Gabrielle in the book universe. Though not much can be said, Ehle did give some hints as to her dynamic with Lestat this coming season. Both Jennifer Ehle and Sam Reid had a hard time describing the pair’s complex relationship, though the consensus did seem to be “fucked up.”
For Gabriella herself, Lestat, and later, vampirism, represent an escape from the horrors of her mortal life. The remnants of their mortal relationship bleed into the present and mix with the simultaneous trappings and freedoms that come with being a vampire. That alone is enough to create a ticking time bomb of a relationship that should play an integral role this season. Plus, they hinted at the possibility of Louis and Gabriella meeting, which could have any number of consequences.
Devil’s Minion and Other Complicated Relationships
After jumping off a helicopter just in time for the panel, Assad Zaman had some interesting things to say about Armand and his relationship with fledgling Daniel. Fans have been wondering since the show first began what would become of the devil’s minion dynamic from the novels. According to Zaman, Armand’s arc this season will be about figuring himself out and his other relationships will change in turn. Daniel is dealing with the chaos of his new powers and his desire for revenge, on the other hand. Both characters are in a state of limbo individually and their relationship to each other is even less clear-cut. Bogosian did compare Daniel to Armand’s beaten up — but maybe well-loved? — stuffed animal if that gives you any idea what lies ahead.
Going back to the end of season two, Louis’s final scene is full of newfound confidence. But Jacob Anderson warns that not all of it will last. Louis, as much as he has come into his own as a vampire, is still reeling from Claudia’s death and the series of betrayals he experienced. For him, this season will be almost like a second coming-of-age for the new version of himself. How that will play into his and Lestat’s dynamic is another question. On the one hand, Louis has embraced and found peace in parts of himself he never had before. On the other, there’s shared trauma and love that binds them together against the backdrop of a changed world.
First Look Highlights
This season is all about performance. As Sam Reid mentioned during the cast panel, Lestat is constantly performing. But he isn’t the only one. All of these characters have parts of themselves and their pasts that they want to bury. But they take drastically different approaches to doing so. We got to see some of these performances, literal and metaphorical, in a brand new extended first look at the show.
The teaser opens up with a scene familiar to viewers: Daniel and Louis sitting across from each other in conversation. Except this time, there’s no interview. Instead, this is the aftermath of the interview and the publishing of Daniel’s book. While the book has found success, Louis makes it clear that he’s not happy with how he’s portrayed in it. And if the annotations on the pages are anything to go by, neither is Lestat.
From there, the trailer takes off at breakneck pace, jumping from scene to scene to the soundtrack of Lestat’s vocals and vibrant guitars. We see clips from various timelines, past to present. Of course, there’s rockstar Lestat, clearly at home on the stage, but there’s also glimpses of mortal Lestat, as a child and an adult. The past has followed Lestat to the present and is haunting him. We see what looks to be a hallucination of Lestat’s maker, Magnus, in the audience at one of his shows. This is another great casting choice. Though he’s not as outright monstrous as the books make him out to be, there’s something more chilling about the contrast between his human aspects and the monstrous ones. One look at the pitch black of his eyes is enough to remind you of who this character really is.
Armand does show up in the teaser, but his scenes don’t give much context to his character arc this season. It seems that he’ll be kept under wraps a bit, at least until the next official trailer is released. As for Louis, he’s haunting Lestat’s narrative much like Lestat did his in season two. We see a past version of Louis standing in the audience at one of Lestat’s shows. But we also see them together in present day, fighting over the book and potentially teaming up later on. Most intriguing is a scene between Bruce and Louis where Louis is covered in blood.
Could this be him enacting revenge on behalf of Claudia or for some other reason? And will it actually be what Louis needs or a desperate attempt to right past wrongs? Claudia never left. We even see a small moment of her among the other scenes. Her hand appears burnt and some fans have pointed out that she’s wearing a dress from season one. We’re all excited to see Delainey Hayles back and nervous to see how her lingering presence will impact the others.
The Wait Ahead
There’s lots to unpack with this trailer. Hopefully enough to keep fans satiated until the next bit of news drops. For now, all we know for certain is that season three is coming sometime next year, in 2026. A writer from the show did share a post on Instagram stories, seemingly hinting at a release date in April, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet. In the meantime, turn your playback speed down to 0.25 and find all the easter eggs in this extended look at “The Vampire Lestat.”
