How Is The Vampire Lestat Connected to Interview With the Vampire?
As it builds to its US debut on June 7, the marketing for The Vampire Lestat has been all over the internet and magazines.
One stroke of publicity ingenuity saw the titular vampire take to New York’s Beacon Theatre to perform a one-night-only intimate concert. Songs by Lestat have also appeared on streaming sites, and if you are remotely interested in vampires, you’ll have been driven nearly mad with all the targeted promotion.
Typically, this type of saturation campaign is reserved for brand-new shows, and whilst technically The Vampire Lestat is new, it actually has ties to the pre-existing Interview with the Vampire.
How is The Vampire Lestat Connected To Interview with the Vampire?
Beginning in 2022, Interview with the Vampire was a television adaptation of Anne Rice’s book of the same name. Set in modern times, Interview with the Vampire saw journalist Daniel Molloy invited to Dubai to write the life story of eccentric billionaire Louis de Pointe du Lac. In addition to the interview coming with a hefty paycheck, Louis promised the story of a lifetime, claiming to be a vampire.
Over two seasons, Daniel and Louis, with the assistance of Louis’ partner, Armand, discuss Louis’ early vampire life, which was intrinsically linked to his first love and maker, Lestat. The story moved from the hustle and bustle streets of 1920s New Orleans to post-WWII Paris and told a Gothic love story full of betrayals, heartache, and highly questionable decisions. At the end of the second season, Louis’ story was finished, and the book was put out into the world.
Rather than end the show there, the series will continue, but now from the perspective of Lestat. The Vampire Lestat is directly connected to Interview with the Vampire, as it forms the third season of the cult hit. Essentially, it's the same show, just retitled.
Why Has The Show Changed Its Name To The Vampire Lestat?
Typically, once a television show or film series has established its brand, its title does not change. For example, the original The Hunger Games series all started with that title before being subtitled as Catching Fire, Mockingjay, etc.. The Walking Dead are also keen to keep the brand visible with all the spin-off shows keeping that aspect somewhere within their show titles, such as The Walking Dead: Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. However, The Vampire Lestat does not follow this pattern, and there is a sound reason for this.
Although technically the third season of Interview with the Vampire, this new season of the show is based on the second book in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles book series. The first two seasons of the show focused on adapting Book One, Interview with the Vampire, and so changing the show's name to accurately explain where the source material is coming from this time makes sense. It remains a confusing choice not to feature Interview with the Vampire somewhere in the title, but it’s understandable to see where the creative team are coming from.
What is The Vampire Lestat About?
The Vampire Lestat is a continuation of the story begun in Interview with the Vampire. This time, the narrator is Lestat rather than Louis, and with a change in lead character comes a complete tonal overhaul. Interview with the Vampire is a sweeping modern Gothic romance, tinged with yearning and sorrow. The format was fairly rigid, with the story moving in a linear fashion from modern-day Dubai to the chronicling of Louis’ past. The style perfectly reflected the composed storyteller, but The Vampire Lestat is the polar opposite.
Right from the first moments, The Vampire Lestat announces itself as bold, brash, and hedonistic. Narrated via audio recordings from Lestat, The Vampire Lestat picks up during the aftermath of the release of Daniel’s book. Viewed as a joke by those who have read it, Lestat determines to show the world who he really is and decides the best way to do that is to become the frontman for a rock band. Each episode is set around a different stop on the band’s tour, and whereas Louis’ storytelling was well thought out and put together, Lestat’s is chaotic mind vomit. The story races between past, present, and future, sometimes all at once. It’s tonal whiplash from its more sedate predecessor, but it is the correct way to tell the life story of a vampire rock star.
