Paramount Television and Anonymous Content have optioned the rights to 11 books from acclaimed author Anne Rice’s best-selling series, The Vampire Chronicles. Christopher Rice, four-time New York Times best-selling author and recipient of the Lambda Literary Award, will pen the series and serve as executive producer alongside Anne Rice, and Anonymous Content’s David Kanter and Steve Golin.
“It is undeniable that Anne Rice has created the paradigm against which all vampire stories are measured. The rich and vast world she has created with ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ is unmatched and sophisticated with 90’s gothic undertones that will be perfectly suited to captivate audiences,” said Amy Powell, President, Paramount TV. “The series is full of compelling characters led by Lestat, arguably one of the greatest original characters, literary or otherwise. We are thrilled to collaborate with Anne, Christopher and the team at Anonymous Content on this epic series.”
“Together with our partners at Paramount Television, we are embarking on a fantastic journey with Anne and Christopher Rice to bring Anne’s unparalleled imagination to television at the moment when the medium is experiencing a global apex in the demand for the most outstanding, exciting and heightened premium dramatic programming,” says Anonymous Content’s David Kanter. “‘The Vampire Chronicles,’ in its entirety, is not only a phenomenally complex universe of story-telling, it is also a world-wide readership whose connections to the books and their author are deep and abiding. It is a tremendous responsibility to help bring the books to television, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity.”
“I’m thrilled beyond words to be working with Paramount TV and Anonymous Content –known for extraordinary cutting edge series such as ‘True Detective,’ ‘Quarry,’ and ‘The Knick,'” said Anne Rice. “In this unique golden age of television, I couldn’t ask for a finer or more passionate team to help bring my beloved vampire hero, Lestat, alive in a series of the highest quality. This is a dream come true, both for me and for Christopher and for the fans who have been asking to see the Brat Prince in this medium for years.”
Christopher Rice added, “The first great day for me on this project was when my mother asked me to partner with her on it. The second, is the announcement of this thrilling partnership with Paramount Television and Anonymous Content. For decades now fans of ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ have been clamoring for a long-form television adaptation of this galaxy of content. Just a glance at the libraries of these two innovative, groundbreaking companies makes clear why they’re perfectly suited to granting this wish. Add to that their passion and enthusiasm for the long term vision Mom and I share for this series, and we’re confident this exciting deal will result in many excellent things for Lestat in the universe of television.”
Anne Rice is a New York Times best-selling author of over 30 novels. Her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was published in 1976 and has become one of bestselling novels worldwide and was the basis for the internationally acclaimed 1994 motion picture, Interview with the Vampire, starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst and Antonio Banderas.
