Posted in: AMC, TV | Tagged: anne rice, The Talamasca

The Talamasca Teaser Released – But What About That Countdown?

AMC released a new teaser for Anne Rice's The Talamasca: The Secret Order, but what's the deal with that countdown on the website?

With tonight bringing the season finale of AMC's Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan-starring The Walking Dead: Dead City, viewers were also treated to another new look at the latest addition to "Anne Rice's Immortal Universe." But as much as we appreciated how the newest teaser for Nicholas Denton (Dangerous Liaisons, Glitch), William Fichtner (The Company You Keep, Mom), Elizabeth McGovern (War of the Worlds), and Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Nine Perfect Strangers, DC's Legends of Tomorrow)-starring Anne Rice's The Talamasca: The Secret Order set a creepy paranoid tone, we have a bigger questions. What's the deal with the countdown clock over on The Talamasca website? Because it appears something is supposed to happen at midnight Eastern time.

With the news that overarching executive producer Mark Johnson had signed a new deal, fans also learned of two new additions to the cast. Celine Buckens (Showtrial, The Ex-Wife) is set for a series regular role, while Jason Schwartzman (Mountainhead, Pavements) is set to guest star. Buckens' Doris is described as "an old soul who lives with a coven of witches on a houseboat," with Schwartzman's Burton described as " a rakish vampire leading a cloistered life in a luxurious Upper West Side penthouse." Now, here's a look at the latest teaser for the upcoming series:

The Talamasca: Mark Johnson Offers "Anne Rice Universe" Updates

Johnson sat down with Deadline Hollywood for an exclusive interview that went live at the end of May when news of his new deal with AMC Networks first hit.  While the current focus is on the three series currently in play, Johnson shared what the future might hold for fans. In addition, Johnson made some interesting points regarding how they approach possible crossovers and the hesitation to give popular characters their own spinoffs.

Regarding the total number of series he believes "Anne Rice's Immortal Universe" could have in play, Johnson could see that number top out at five. "At some point, it becomes a little ridiculous, but I have a very small but incredibly gifted team, and we can keep tabs, certainly on the three we have now. I know that we could add a fourth and maybe go a little crazy with a fifth," he shared. With that in mind, Johnson teased how things look on that front. "We have a couple of other things in different stages of development, two based on specific books, and the third one, like 'Talamasca,' based on [a] series of events that happen in a couple of the books, on characters who can cross over into original stories," he added.

Johnson on Crossovers & Respecting Anne Rice's Rules: "I know, there is a temptation. When you kill a character, you say, Oh, come on, you can bring him back next season, because it's the supernatural. No, we can't play by those rules. And one of the things you learn early on is that there are rules within Anne Rice's work, and you have to obey them because you deviate at the expense of alienating an audience," Johnson explained.

"But there's so many other things we can do. For instance, The Talamasca is an organization that keeps tabs on — and in theory doesn't interfere with — the supernatural beings in our world. Of course, that would do with witches and with vampires, so you can see how we can connect all three. And we do. There are big surprises already in couple of the seasons, but in the coming season of both 'Interview' and you'll see in 'Talamasca' that there are some connections to these other franchises."

Why Johnson Hasn't Thought About a Lestat or Louis Spinoff: "No, I haven't thought about characters that are broken out. This is not a criticism of 'Walking Dead,' but in a strange way, if a character is available to put into another world or his or her own show, then that means you haven't successfully integrated them into their own franchise. The vampires Lestat and Louie are unique to 'Interview with a Vampire,' and I don't know how you would break them out of that world and that history. I certainly haven't thought about, oh, this character is so successful, let's give her or let's give him their own show."

With John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) writing, directing, and serving as co-showrunner alongside Mark Lafferty, the series will focus on the secret organization known as the Talamasca – one that's been a factor in a number of Rice's works. Referred to by the late bestselling author 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 (and it's already made its presence known on both shows). Johnson, who oversees the "Anne Rice Immortal Universe,"  will also serve as an executive producer (as he does on "Interview" and "Mayfair").

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