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Interview with the Vampire S03 Filming in Toronto "Later in the Year"

Interview with the Vampire star Sam Reid and EP Mark Johnson offered a filming update and addressed the importance of music in Season 3.


When we got the rundown of which shows would be attending this weekend's Deadline's Contenders TV event and saw that AMC and Rolin Jones's (Perry Mason, Weeds) Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman, and Eric Bogosian-starring Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire was set to be there, that pretty clinched it for us. With Reid and "Anne Rice Universe" EP Mark Johnson in attendance, fans were offered some updates on how things were looking with The Vampire Lestat-adapting third season.

"The second book opens in this very extreme, confronting different way. We're honoring that," Reid shared, "The rock-star vampire is such a bizarre concept, and it's something that we're attempting and hopefully do it OK." Helping bring "Rockstar Lestat" to life is the show's composer, Daniel Hart – who is penning the songs.  "The music has always been done by Daniel Hart, and Daniel Hart is really just bringing some extraordinary work to the new season," Reid shared. "This show rests so heavily on his music. It's so visceral, the way the music can come in and ride a wave for the audience. He's really having the time of his life writing these songs."

With Jones leading the Season 3 writers' room, Johnson offered a timeframe regarding when the cameras would start rolling. "The writers are busy working away, meaning Rollin has no time to himself right now. We are going to be shooting in Toronto, of all places, later in the year, not too far away. So much of this season all rests on this man's shoulders," Johnson revealed. In terms of production, Johnson shared how the executive producers work to be able to offer as much of Jones' vision as possible while also being as "inventive and resourceful" with monies available. "I think we need really for all of us, all the executive producers, all of us to be as inventive and resourceful as possible," Johnson explained. "That's why we went to Prague. We didn't go to Paris. Prague doubled for it. We all understood that. There are other networks that would've spent a lot more money on this. AMC, I could not be more grateful for their support and understanding of what we needed."

Interview with the Vampire
Image: AMC Networks Screencap

AMC's Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire Season 3

Back in August 2024, series composer Daniel Hart participated in a Reddit AMA to discuss what it was like composing the first two seasons and answer fan questions. Though Hart noted that it was still too early to discuss specifics on music for the third season, he did offer some insights into "Long Face" and how he's approaching the music for Season 3 with Reid's vocal stylings in mind.

In terms of Hart's musical inspirations for "Long Face," Hart notes it was "Ziggy Stardust"-era David Bowie and T. Rex. As for when the song will hit streaming, Hart shares, "'Long Face' will eventually make it to streaming services, I have no doubt. And I wish I could give you a timetable for that, but I just don't know yet. I know so many folx want to stream it, but I have to ask for your patience while many other moving parts fall into place." As for whether we will be getting any more tracks from Lestat before Season 3 primers, Hart responded, "I probably couldn't tell you if I knew. But I actually don't know, so I don't have much else I can say about it. Except that The Vampire Lestat likes writing songs. :)."

What Hart Likes/Finds Interesting About Sam Reid's Voice: "Sam's voice – what's not to like? Yes, I keep his vocal register in mind when I'm writing for him. Yes, I think about what I know about his voice already, in terms of what words will sound good coming out of his mouth (the slight French accent also affects these choices). BUT his voice, like every voice, is full of surprises, and I can't wait for the next time we record something to discover a new surprise. And no, I don't know when that next time will be, but I really look forward to it."

Hart on Differences in Producing "Come to Me" and "Long Face": "'Come To Me' was done remotely while Sam was filming S1, and I unfortunately couldn't be there, even remotely. 'Long Face,' we were in the studio together. Being together makes it a lot easier to get to the vocal performances we both want. So 'Come To Me,' we really have to thank Sam, Rolin, and my music editor, Mark Vlodarkiewicz, for getting it where it needed to be. For Long Face, we tried a few different approaches – Lestat is furious, Lestat is singing to a fan in the audience at a show, Lestat is seducing everyone – and we had a lot of fun. Sam really gave it his all; it was a pleasure."

Interview with the Vampire
Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (Image: AMC Networks)

In season three, resentful of the perfunctory portrayal in the trashy bestseller 'Interview With The Vampire,' the Vampire Lestat sets his story straight in a way only the Vampire Lestat can—by starting a band and going on tour," read the official overview for the third season. "Gabrielle. Nicholas. Magnus. Marius. Those Who Must Be Kept. They join Louis, Armand, Molloy, Sam, Raglan, Fareed, and others we can't tell you about yet on a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma. No Auto-Tuning. No Trigger Warnings. All Feels Amplified. Now, here's a look at the official lyric video for Lestat de Lioncourt's "Long Face":

Speaking with The Los Angeles Times, Jones shared that they're looking to create "a little pop masterpiece" next season – dropping the names of two powerfully influential musicals that are setting the bar. "Lestat becomes a rock star. Let's start there. We're going to do a lot with that and are excited about potentially working with Daniel Hart, who's done the music for the first two seasons," Jones shared. "We're going to try to beat 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' and 'Rocky Horror.' We're about to try to make a little pop masterpiece."

Mark Johnson executive produces AMC's Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, along with Christopher Rice (with the late author also maintaining an executive producer title). AMC's deal includes 18 titles across the "The Vampire Chronicles" and "The Lives of the Mayfair Witches" book series- also including Queen of the Damned, The Vampire Lestat, and The Witching Hour. Johnson leads AMC's efforts to develop the full Rice collection for television & streaming. Emmy Award-winning director Alan Taylor (Mad Men, Game of Thrones) directed the first two episodes and serves as executive producer.


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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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