Posted in: AMC, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: amc, anne rice, interview with the vampire, mayfair witches, night island, preview

Anne Rice/Immortal Universe: Night Island Has "Vampire Hijinks" & More

Anne Rice's Immortal Universe digital spinoff series Night Island writer Jonathan Ceniceroz promises "island weirdness" & "vampire hijinks."

With the second seasons of Interview with the Vampire & Mayfair Witches on the way and the recently-announced third series based on the secret organization known as the Talamasca in development, it's pretty safe to say that AMC's Anne Rice universe is looking pretty healthy these days (minus the writers' strike, of course). On Monday, fans were extended an "invitation" to Night Island, a six-part short-form digital series stemming from writer Jonathan Ceniceroz. The series focuses on some all-too-human burglars who attempt to steal a valuable painting from the island in question – which also happens to be the stomping ground for a coven of folks who are definitely not human. As we mentioned yesterday, for those of you who are up on both the series and Rice's novels you know that the implications of what this could mean could prove very interesting for the second season of Interview with the Vampire. Now, Ceniceroz is checking in to offer an update ("locked scripts" turned in before the writers' strike started) and tease what's to come – like "many new characters, a few bold choices" –

"Happy 'bout the spin-off I wrote for AMC+ filming this summer," Ceniceroz wrote in the Instagram post. "[Looking forward] to sharing with you when the blood has dried… many new characters, a few bold choices… some expansions, contractions, amid a healthy dose of island weirdness and vampire hijinks we've come to love and respect… fortunate to turn in locked scripts before the strike: full speed ahead!" Here's a look (followed by a look back at what we know about the "Talamasca" series):

Anne Rice's Immortal Universe: Talamasca

As part of last month's Upfronts presentation, we learned that AMC Networks is developing a third series set in the "Immortal Universe" that's proven to be a winning universe for the company. With John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) attached to write and serve as showrunner, the series would focus on the secret organization known as the Talamasca that's been a factor in a number of Rice's works. Referred to by Rice as "psychic detectives," the Order of the Talamasca was established to research, track, and oversee the paranormal world – which, as we've seen, is made up of vampires, witches, werewolves, and more.

"The enthusiastic critical and fan reception to 'Interview' and 'Mayfair' is a great sign of what is yet to come in this immersive universe based on the works of Anne Rice," said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, in a statement when the news was first announced. "We're excited to be in active development of the next installment in this growing franchise, written and to be showrun by the incomparable John Lee Hancock. The Talamasca is one of the most intriguing elements of Rice's works and a connective thread through so many of her stories; the standalone and crossover potential for this third series is immense." The news comes as both Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches begin work on their second seasons. The former is currently in production in Prague (with Delainey Hayles replacing Bailey Bass as Claudia), while the latter is set to start filming later this year in New Orleans (barring writers' strike delays). Both series are produced by AMC Studios and executive produced by Mark Johnson.

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