#Sam Reid Is Lestat in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire TV Show

AMC’s Interview with the Vampire series has officially found its Lestat the vampire in Sam Reid. The British actor has reportedly signed on to star in the lead role as Lestat on the upcoming series based on the popular Anne Rice novel of the same name. It’s said that this casting could represent a long-term investment in Reid, as AMC has also secured the rights to all of Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles books, many of which also feature Lestat.

This casting makes Reid the third actor to portray the vampire Lestat in a live-action movie on the big screen. He was famously played by Tom Cruise in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire before Stuart Townsend later took on another incarnation of the character for 2002’s Queen of the Damned. Should Reid end up reprising the role in addition projects for AMC, he would be the first to play Lestat multiple times.
RELATED: Interview with the Vampire Series Officially Happening at AMC with Anne Rice
Sam Reid is best known for his roles in movies like Anonymous, Belle, and The Railway Man. He currently stars in the Australian drama series The Newsreader and has also appeared in The Hunting, Lambs of God, Prime Suspect 1973, and The Astronaut Wives Club. In 2019, he had a role in the action drama Waiting for the Barbarians alongside Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, and Mark Rylance.

AMC ordered eight episodes of the Interview with the Vampire series. As of now, the expectation is that the show will debut on AMD and AMC Plus in 2022. Rolin Jones serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner under his overall deal with the cabler. Mark Johnson also exec produces through his overall deal with AMC Studios as well alongside Anne Rice and Christopher Rice. Alan Taylor is on board to direct the first two episodes.

Last year, it was reported that AMC had acquired the rights to Anne Rice’s novel series The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. No other projects are currently in development beyond the eight-episode Interview with the Vampire series, though it seems likely we’ll see more if this new show is a hit for the network. The powers that be are likely waiting to see the response to Interview with the Vampire before getting too much deeper into the franchise, but we could end up seeing a lot of Sam Reid as Lestat in the coming years.

“It’s always been my dream to see the worlds of my two biggest series united under a single roof so that filmmakers could explore the expansive and interconnected universe of my vampires and witches,” said Anne Rice in a statement at the time. “That dream is now a reality, and the result is one of the most significant and thrilling deals of my long career.”

“There is no shortage of content in today’s competitive environment, but proven IP that has captivated millions of fans around the world is something very special and rare, and that is what Anne Rice has created,” added Sarah Barnett, president of AMC Networks Entertainment Group and AMC Studios. “These remarkable stories and characters are massive in their appeal and we are privileged to take over stewardship of these legendary works and collaborate with a talent like Rolin Jones to find ways for new generations of fans to experience these worlds.”

Interview with the Vampire is expected to arrive in 2022. It’s unclear when filming will begin.This news comes to us from Variety.

Topics: Interview with a Vampire