As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I’ve been having a blast with the Anne Rice Immortal Universe in the past few years, especially thanks to the excellent Interview With The Vampire series. A third series from the universe called Talamasca: The Secret Order is set to join the 2025 TV schedule, but I have to be honest: I really haven’t had high expectations or much interest in it. That is, until I went to San Diego Comic-Con last week and saw a first look at it during the Anne Rice Universe panel.
Since a first look at the third season of Interview with the Vampire was set to happen during the panel, I was primarily there for that, and to be blunt, would have probably sat out the Talamasca panel if it had been a separate event. However, I have a feeling AMC knew that’s been the vibe for a lot of fans of this universe, so they put the two panels together, and I’m happy they did. After learning about the new series, there are a few reasons why I’ll be tuning in!
Talamasca Being A Spy Thriller Set In The Immortal Universe Hooked Me
While at the San Diego Comic-Con panel, the show’s creators drew me in when they pitched the show as a spy thriller set in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe. The show was also written by John Lee Hancock, who has penned and helmed a lot of solid movies over the years, from Saving Mr. Banks to The Founder, The Blind Side, The Rookie and The Highwaymen.
If you’ve also been watching the other Anne Rice shows like I have, you know that the Talamasca is a secret society that is dedicated to monitoring the supernatural world and maintaining the balance between the mortal and supernatural realms. I never thought about it before, but imagining the Talamasca as this spy organization under the lens of an espionage thriller is a really inspired way for the series to set itself apart from the other Anne Rice shows, along with other supernatural series.
Its first season is also a tight six episodes, so it sounds like there’s an intentional story with this concept set to unfold. During the panel, they also teased that it will be one of the more horror-heavy Anne Rice series as well, which had me stunned considering all the brutal kills we’ve already seen in Interview With The Vampire.
Its Cast Of Characters Already Have Me Intrigued, Too
Aside from the concept of Talamasca, the panel also successfully introduced me to the brand-new characters at the center of the series. It chiefly follows a character named Guy, who can read minds and has apparently been secretly groomed by the Talamasca his whole life. The actor behind the role, Nicholas Denton, is a newcomer to being a leading man in a big series, but I was successfully charmed by the actor as he talked about Guy at the panel.
Some of the other main characters introduced also had a similar effect on me. William Fichtner, whom I absolutely loved in Prison Break, is set to play a vampire named Jasper, which literally seems perfect for him. I really love the idea of a “middle-aged” vampire after so many times it’s often a younger person trying to emulate age, and I just know he’ll be spooky in the mysterious role.
Otherwise, there’s Legends Of Tomorrow’s Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Olive, Guy’s handler, who seems like a badass character. Céline Buckens plays Doris, a woman who lives with a coven of witches on a houseboat. We also saw a clip focusing on a character, Elizabeth McGovern plays, named Helen, where we were clued in on some experiments of the supernatural that took place when she was a child. I have a feeling that aspect of the series will be really central to the first season, but I’m not sure entirely how it will shake out – and that’s a good thing!
Jason Schwartzman As A Vampire? Sign Me Up.
Another reveal regarding the cast worth mentioning is the fact that Jason Schwartzman is also set to play a vampire in the series. His name is Burton, and "charming, rakish vampire, leading a cloistered life in a luxurious Upper West Side penthouse,” per Entertainment Weekly. I love seeing Schwartzman in movies and TV shows, especially when he was in The Hunger Games or just about every Wes Anderson movie to date.
I think he’ll bring some real personality to Talamasca, given that a lot of the other actors are somewhat unknown.
I'm Excited That Daniel Malloy Has A Vital Role
The other big character name drop that was announced during the Anne Rice panel was Interview With The Vampire’s Daniel Molloy. He is crossing over into Talamasca in a key role. It was revealed to us that actor Eric Bogosian would be in the series when they showed us the teaser (also available to watch on YouTube), where the investigative journalist shows up in an alleyway to tell Guy, “They’re using you, kid”.
I feel like Daniel Malloy in the spy thriller lens must have been really fun for the TV creators to work with, and I love the idea of more crossovers in the universe after the one in Mayfair Witches. Knowing that Malloy is in Talamasca also brings higher stakes for me as an audience member to check out the series, and get to see the key character (who’s now a vampire himself after Season 2), in another light outside of the framework of Interview with the Vampire. I’m also curious if and how Talamasca will connect with the other two shows at all.
After Mayfair Witches’ Season 2 was rather disappointing in my eyes, I thought I might only be an Interview With A Vampire gal in regards to this AMC universe, but Talamasca shows some real promise. I guess we’ll have to see if the marketing matches its quality once it premieres on October 26.
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