Not only a series, but a pre-premier behind the scenes special!?!?. We’re back to discuss actual TV with the Behind the Scenes special for Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire from AMC and AMC+

In this episode we discuss casting controversies and crossover potential, as we get our first glimpse into Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe!

If you like Anne Rice and her vampires enough to read this, then you like them enough to join our cult...I mean Discord: https://discord.gg/PkbCaMgVu3

If Discord isn’t your thing, we also have a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/articulatecoven/ or follow us on Twitter @articulatecoven

Until you hear from us again, get AMC+ and watch the Behind the Scenes special for Interview With the Vampire before first season premiers Oct. 2nd on AMC and AMC+.

A 17th Century Man in a 21st Century Streaming Service - Ashley and Joel Discuss the Behind the Scenes Special for Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire on AMC and AMC+ - AC012

Joel: The Articulate Coveen is the original unofficial podcast and fan community for An Rice's interview with the Vampire and An Rice's Immortal Universe from AMC and AMC Plus. Welcome to

Joel: the Articulate Cousins, the unofficial podcast for Anne Rice's interview with the Vampire from AMC as well as the lives of the Mayfair witches from AMC and AMC Plus. We are your hosts.

Ashley: Ashley Wright Ihler.

Joel: And I'm Joel Sharpton, and welcome back to the Articulate Cove. In this episode, we're gonna be talking specifically about the behind the scenes special on AMC in advance of the release, the premiere of interview with the Vampire of the series itself, and the whole world of no. I guess, Ashley, we should we should start breaking ourselves in and and describe this as AMC is now describing it. It's the immortal universe of Ann Rice.

Ashley: That's so beautiful. I love it. What a beautiful perfect tagline.

Joel: I and so by the way, you can follow their specific social channels, immortal underscore AMC, I think, on face book and Twitter and Instagram as well. And they they put out some good content there too, and I expect to see more throughout the the season. And, of course, throughout the year as they build out this universe. But that's exactly what it is. You know, in last episode, we mentioned AMC's preacher adaptation that they had a few years back, they did not talk about a preacher universe. They did not look to do spin or not publicly anyway. They did not look to do spin offs of the preacher series. The executives at AMC, the show runners behind this series, the show runners behind the Mayfair witch series that is forthcoming right after this one. I think they're gonna be right on the tail end of this series. They're gonna straight into Maeve your

Ashley: wish. So it sounds like All

Joel: of them are talking about not one show, not two shows but a universe of characters that interact with each other, that come in and out of each other's stories, and Ashley, the number one thing that that says to me, and this behind the scenes special overall just just drove this more home for me. AMC has a tremendous commitment to this universe. They've bet huge on it with their dollars, which means that it's going to have a fighting chance. I think they've put good effort into the content that we're gonna see. And whether it's a perfect adaptation or not, I think we're gonna have good television to watch, compelling stories with excellent characters and great actors. And if the audience shows up, I think AMC is ready to ride this train as far as we want it to go, basically.

Joel: This

Ashley: which is Yeah. This behind the scenes. Drilling. Right? A hundred percent. This behind the scenes totally kind of kind of brought it to my You

Joel: guys

Ashley: have been avoiding a lot of stuff about this because, frankly, we're getting a lot of, like, negative fan feedback. Like, book purists are not happy. And so I've been trying to really say above that fray and so that I can experience it kind of pure same sort of thing I did when when the force awakens was coming out. I was like, no. Watch the official trailers and then stay out of everything else. But this behind the scenes special, you guys got me so cranked for this that I can't even think straight. Like, I have been running at a ten all day to day since I watch this. I watched this on my lunch break today at work, and I have been absolutely pumped a hundred and ten percent since I watched this. I think that you're gonna be surprised. I know a lot of I know a lot of people are nervous about it. I know a lot of people are worried about the changes, some of the changes to to what what you think of as the world that you expect it to be. But I I don't think you're gonna be just appointed. I really don't think we're gonna feel that down. And New Orleans is gonna be gorgeous no matter what time period it set in, just so you know.

Joel: It looks so good. This year, it looks so beautiful New Orleans. The New Orleans that they present is this alluring, dangerous, primal, sexual, passionate, you know, stew that Anne describes that Anne fell in love with, that you and I have certainly fell in love with ourselves. And that and that L'Estat loves so much that draws him back to it again and again throughout the years and throughout the centuries. Let's talk about those big changes right off the top. Okay. So Sam Reid is L'Estat. And unlike Tom Cruise, he's blonde. He seems to physical controversy there. Okay. Yes. Jacob Anderson.

Ashley: Oh, well, let's go we'll go back to

Joel: him in a minute, but let's Let's let's talk about the controversy, because this is where it starts. Jacob

Ashley: answers as we

Joel: need to point to lack. Yeah. Jacob is an African American? Well, he's not an African American.

Ashley: He's part of

Joel: African descent. It's

Ashley: black man. It's black. And

Joel: not only that, but we're moving time period slightly. Instead of the late eighteen hundreds, we're talking about the early nineteen hundreds. Louis is the descendant of a plantation owner. His wealth comes from plantation money. He is a man that is into the nefarious side of New Orleans Storyland. In particular, this is a show that is gonna be set in amongst storyland, which is this wonderful sort of wild west atmosphere that existed, that actually existed in New Orleans at the time. Where, in fact, prostitution was legal effectively in, you know, a certain section of the city, and Louis is gonna be caught up in that world. Gambling, prostitution, you know, a a a a a a a a speakeasy runner, whatever it might be. And that is obviously a time period shift. And especially, it's a big change to have Louis be an African American character or or excuse me, a black character as opposed to a plantation owner. But

Ashley: Hey, look, listen. During this time period, there were sugar plantation owners that wear black creels.

Joel: Yes. The free people of color is something that Anne has visited herself. Howard Bauchner:

Ashley: Yeah, absolutely. And so I I get that this is off putting and and not what some people are expecting, but I think considering the world that this is set in, the place that this is set in, which is New Orleans. Like, we don't have diversity is beyond me. Like, I I feel like this is a more I'm very hopeful. Let me not let me not over state it. I'm just very hopeful. And I think it sets up the moral the moral the moral quandaries that he's gonna feel. This sets it up so much more quickly and so much more succinctly than, like, having to drag out a whole dramatic story about his brother and Blah blah blah blah. Or he's sister, and I don't even remember anymore. Like, this is so much a quicker way to get to the point. You know what I mean? Like, he's in different places.

Joel: Yes. Yes, a million percent. I do think some of that family stuff is still going to come. First of all, I think we're gonna be surprised how long Louie's mortal life lasts into this first season because I do think we're gonna bring in some of the family element and some of those family connections, his responsibilities to his family. I also think we're gonna see quite a bit of his religious convictions and the way that that connects to his decision ultimately to to join Le Stott or or lack of decision to join Le Stott on his, you know, devil's road. Bailey Bass is the other big casting decision that was questioned by some in the audience. Bailey Bass is going to be our Claudia. First of all, she's older a little bit. Even then Kirsten does portray the character?

Ashley: Yeah. Kirsten I think that you set Kirsten's betrayal or I'm saying that, like, we're buddies. Kirsten Dent's portrayal, I think they set it up as she was about twelve roughly.

Joel: I think you're right. In the in the novel, she's five or six. In the original movie, she's about twelve. In this portrayal, Bailey Bass is gonna be

Ashley: fourteen. Teen. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And the only thing I am worried about is I heard her, and I'm really hoping the scene that I saw in the in the special was like, kind of, like, purposefully kind of over the top scene. But I I I did write oof. Not sure about that accent. Joel.

Joel: Well, in accents

Ashley: and especially Louisiana accents are difficult to manage at best. Let's put it that way.

Joel: That is a hundred percent true. I mean, even in recent, you know, mainstream pop culture, there are several bad examples. I mean, we've already mentioned true blood. The TrueBlade series was full of them. I I think about Kevin Spacey in the the Netflix series. That atrocious southern accent that he trotted out for years in a row. Anyway, it that can happen. It doesn't completely harpoon of performance. But, yes, I I'm looking for more flavor and more color to it overall. Let's hope that maybe just when it's the particular tone that she was using in that clip. I I I know exactly what you're talking

Ashley: about. I think that's been to the

Joel: daily bass. Here's here's the thing with Bailey. First of all, Claudia's character is not gonna be around for readers of the books. I'm sorry. Here's a little spoiler. Yeah. Funny. This character is not gonna be around for forever. Right? Five years from now, six years from now when we're on our third series and there's a bit of crossover already. Claudia may have recurring incidents. There there are moments in the books where Claudia's character comes back in one way or another, but the character herself does not live again. She's never reborn. And so this is kind of a short lived run for Bailey Bass. The interesting thing for me is She's set up to be a big star in the next couple of years. She's got a role, a fairly sizable role, apparently, in one of the upcoming Avatar movies. And so it may be the the thing that by the time this series really takes off, Bailey Bass is a bigger name than anybody else in the cast. And is sort of like a draw for people to the series that didn't find it or didn't look for it before. So I think there's some potential there for some interesting things.

Ashley: And here's the thing too guys. Like playing this character at fourteen lends itself to much more comfortable viewing.

Joel: Yes.

Ashley: And casting this character younger, and it and it and it and it and it sets up safety for the performers. It keeps you know, like, it's just it's smart. It's a smart move to to cast up this character age wise. It's just and especially, like, they were talking about how they really wanna explore her, you know, like, her growth and development into into womanhood. And over the time period that they're gonna be able to really show this, it's gonna be a lot easier to portray that with someone who's already, you know, at fourteen on the brink ish of of human womanhood and then developing into this vampiric womanhood that she, you know, she eventually lives in. And I think that a lot of it it's even set up better.

Joel: Yes. It it makes a more stark contrast with that concept, you know, Claudia's whole character in many ways is, like, that stuck in adolescence, you know, not yet a woman, not yet a girl, even that Yeah. That's I'm I'm not a girl, not yet a woman, whatever. But at fourteen, that's actually true. You know, for the character Claudia when she begins. And then as she ages mentally and

Ashley: emotionally -- As a person. -- and

Joel: I think yes. I think you're right. A hundred percent. And then, of course, also, it allows for Bailey Bass to be an actress that is of age so that she can consent and be, you know, an active agent in the choices that her character is making and that she's making on set as opposed to sort of a prop. Listen, Kirsten Dunn's as an actress was the same age that I was when that film was filmed and released. And so for me, I didn't feel complicated about the sort of sexualization of that character because I was her age as well. In retrospect, back, though. I cannot revisit that film without thinking about. And and don't get me wrong. The sexualization of of Claudia and that story as as told there is very light and handled with sort of kid gloves, not to point a phrase. But at the same time, it is problematic and what they're hinting at is even worse. When you think about the character as written is five years old, six years old, it's even worse. So we move that all into the modern realm. We're gonna fix it. We've got a eighteen year old nineteen year old playing fourteen year old. That's cool.

Ashley: And she looks great. And we we're gonna watch this over numerous episodes, which is different than watching it over forty five minutes in a movie. You know what I mean? Like -- Yes. -- it has to be it has to be something we can consume without feeling like gross creeps to you guys.

Joel: I mean, I was I was thinking about what is the structure of this series? How long do they take to tell the story of this first novel? I it did strike me and we're gonna get to this in a minute how you think they're gonna to plot this universe out. But it did strike me that you could use the title interview with the vampire to mean a Louis led show, and you could tell stories that take place outside of this novel specifically just as you could use a series named the Vampire Listot to tell stories that feature the Vampire Listot even outside that novel. Right? So so you could do a season or two with the tail of the body thief, but you don't have to rename that show. It could still be the vampire less dot. Just as you could do the story of Merrick, for instance, the novel Merrick, which is Louis Focussed. You could do that story as another season in the future of interview with the Vampire. So and I I think that's likely to be what we see here. I think we get you know, two, three, four, maybe different named series that use some of those well known brands, but end up telling stories outside the novels that they're named for. But in this one in particular, I

Joel: think

Ashley: it's all gonna be, like, interview with a vampire and then a subtitle. Like

Joel: A subtitle.

Ashley: The the vampireist at, interview the vampire Pandora. And if I don't get Pandora, I'm gonna burn the Earth too. So

Joel: She's got such a different compelling story, the idea of being, you know, a vampire in a in a previous life and then being reincarnated with that knowledge. That that is so interesting and compelling and offers them sort of a a connection to or linchpin to other supernatural things that they could bring. Anyway, we'll we'll get to that in a little while. I think they've got to introduce Pandora. Pandora in particular offers a spin off in a way that not that many other characters really do that

Ashley: could be very compelling and very head right now. Ignore us.

Joel: Right. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Okay. So

Ashley: Can we talk about Daniel?

Joel: Yes. Yes. Eric Bogosian.

Ashley: Eric Bogosian? Who is one of the best actors on the effing planet you guys? Like, we are so lucky. I think he's so good. I was so pissed. I was like, are you fucking kidding me? Like, Eric Bogosian is like, he's gotta be in his early sixties. And this character is supposed to be twenty in his early twenties. But what have they done Joel? They have made him the same man, but many years later.

Joel: It's so fascinating. And the closest that I so I was trying to explain this to my wife. Who I she does she is gonna watch she is gonna watch the series with me. She didn't wanna watch the behind the scenes special. And so when they got to this point, I had to pause it. And I said, I have to tell you what they've done. And she said, what? And I said, do you know Do you know how they made that new Star Trek movie with a whole different cast? Except the way that they told the story of the movie They said all the stories that you've seen already actually happened. That's all still canon. But there was a change in the universe And so these stories also happen. Nothing's negated. Everything counts. It's all good and it's all connected. Right? That's what the Star Trek reboot effectively did by doing this like time traveling bad guy thing that changes how everyone's born and so everything's all connected. Spot gets to come over from the old series into the new, except there's also a new spot, etcetera, etcetera. That's what interview with the Vampire The TV series and AMC's broader plans here. That's what they've done. They said, Louis, the character that we're gonna see in this TV series, met with Daniel Malloy. This Daniel Malloy played by Bogosian, met with him in nineteen seventy three. Had an interview, and Daniel, the journalist, published that interview. Rolled about it. As the book, wrote about and published it as the book interview with the Empire. We've all read it. Here it is. This is the interview that they had in nineteen seventy three. But It's been forty years since then. Here's the interview, and he reaches over and grabs the full stack of the first five books. Tail of the body thief, the vampire less stock, queen of the damned, mimicked the devil, as well as interview with the vampire, picks all of them up and goes, this is the interview they're having now. What a fascinating chore first and foremost, it gives all of these characters in the in the modern versions. Right? Because obviously we're gonna get the modern version today. Here's Louis telling the story to Daniel, and then we're gonna get flashbacks to the story of Louis becoming a vampire and meaningless dot and having Claudia, etcetera, etcetera. But in the modern versions, it gives all of our characters backstory. A life and a connection that we can play out over the series, we could even see young Daniel eventually, perhaps. Flashbacks to this.

Ashley: And for readers, nothing's taken away. Like, you guys we've not been robbed of any thing?

Joel: Nothing nothing you everything that you've read is real. It all happened. That's all good. This is just a a slightly different telling of it. It's Louis with forty years more knowledge and understanding of all of these characters and events. So that he can give more color to them. It's Daniel forty years later being able to tell the truth about the vampire instead of having to color it for the world of the seventies and and what readers would wanna buy. You know?

Ashley: And and we're talking about too, Louis, as a vampire, isn't very old As far as our vampires go, you know, like, Louis is still, like, forty, fifty years ago, he was Only forty, fifty years ago, old. You know what I mean? Like, it's not he isn't an ancient one. And so for like, I love him as a foil for us. I just love Louie in that role as a foil for us that he is he is the human side of it. You know? And and and we're gonna go through it with him together, and he's gonna grow and learn and change and has grown and learned and changed over all this time, but he's still in a grand scheme of vampires and young.

Joel: Absolutely. So he is he's Roughly sixty years old, I guess, as a vampire anyway. He's been a vampire for sixty years when he speaks to Daniel the first time. And now he's he's roughly a hundred, hundred, and ten, something like that. I think the series is gonna be set at the the the Louis creation part of it, I think is gonna be set around nineteen ten. So it does move it forward into our modern day a little bit. But in so many ways, if you look forward in the story, you think about, okay, what are you gonna do with with L'Estat storyline in the modern day? What are you gonna do with the queen of the damned storyline? What are you gonna do with these crossovers, with the Mayfair switches down the road, etcetera, etcetera. I think all of that falls into place better when structured this way and what you lose quote unquote from having Louis b a white character from having Louis b a plantation owner from having Louis be a slave owner even. I think you you don't lose that much. What you gain instead from getting to understand Louis character through the point of view of a a black person in America. I think it's it's so much more. Same thing with Claudia. You know, the outcast nature of the character of Claudia. Is already compelling as a, you know, a grown woman trapped in a child's body. Take that one step further. She's a grown woman.

Ashley: Well, and and even her before she's killed. She's an orphan. She's a -- Yes. -- a sick orphan, a child, a sick orphan. Like, that's so vulnerable.

Joel: Well, and and but not only vulnerable in those ways, but now we'll also see she's an outcast. She's vulnerable. She's sort of looked, overlooked in her society as an African American girl as well. You know, this incredibly powerful, dangerous figure in a frail, overlooked second class citizens body. You know? What an amazing what an amazing thing?

Ashley: Y'all gonna be very interested to see how they portray race in New Orleans during that time period. I'm very interested in that. You know, like, New Orleans being such a a robust and Flexic City full of different people from different backgrounds and always has been. I'm just very interested to see how all of this plays out. I think I mean, I know you agree with me, Joel, it's like it's one of the most perfect cities in the world. It's just unbelievable. And I'm so excited for people to get to see it. In a different way. I just My love and passion for the city of New Orleans cannot be measured.

Joel: Well, as a Louisiana citizen and a a a a member of the the arts industry at different times in my life, I'm excited for the business that it's gonna bring to New Orleans. You know, the the film business down there is getting a tremendous amount of work from this and the Mayfair witch's series and you know, the rest of their plans. The more they do in this world, the more New Orleans is gonna be a central figure in those plans. So kudos to that side of it.

Ashley: Destiny. There's it's just you will there's a window. I I'm so excited to know too. This is first time I've known the address that Anne had in mind the actual inspiration for Louis L'Estat and Claudia's townhouse. I'd never really known the

Joel: exact

Ashley: address for that. But there's this there's this wind there's this building in on Royal Street. And and it just sits just just above another building next to it. And there's these little windows that peek out. And I since I was, like, since I first read this book and first started going to New Orleans when I was, you know, like like twelve thirteen fourteen, that's the window I could see Claudia peeking out of. You know? Like, that city is so a huge part of the pulse and the and the heart and the soul of these stories. I'm so happy they're filming there. I am so happy that they're contributing to the economy there because Anne was all about that. And I hope this leads to more like preservation and and and celebration of historic spaces in the city.

Joel: I, a thousand percent, agree with all of that, and I think that it's entirely possible. I also think Like, this will be a tourist draw down the road. Right? Like, these locations will be visited more and more as these series become popular. One thing that is not a change in this series, L'Estat is a seventeenth century man. They specifically called it out. They've moved forward Louie's timeline. Right? But Lestats, they have not. First and foremost, I'm excited because this means we can still have our wolf fight, Ashley, in season two or season three, whatever, so before the the spin off series when we get Lestat's origin. We're going to get the wolf fight to not feel confident. And also, we'll get we'll get the the all of his adventures as they escape to join the the traveling theater tonight. Yes. His contemplation of becoming a priest, all of that stuff should happen and can be period appropriate. His mother's relationship with the nobility and her own life. I think all of that can still happen just as it does in the books, just as we have all loved it for so long. I there's no no need to change any of that because they've kept his timing right. So this is an example They changed Louis when they weren't gonna lose a lot. They've kept L'Estat in a way that keeps all of the interesting storytelling Yes. That are still to come for him. And that means a lot to me. I'm super excited about that.

Ashley: Just the right amount of like, French accent. It's not like painful or cheesy.

Joel: Oh, yes. Yes. Oh, Ashley, you mentioned, I think, in the last episode, you were talking about the the narrator for the audiobook versions. And I actually do really like his Lissdotte accent. However, also mentioned how with the language of Mimics the devil specifically it sort of became torturous almost. I thought the same thing here about Sam Reed's, Lestat Accent, it seems just flavored enough. We clearly know where he comes from and who he is, and yet he can move through the modern world, and it's not like an impediment.

Ashley: Absolutely. It's not like, look at this big fancy Frenchman. You know? Yeah. Look at the French vampire Oh, you know, it it it is it's there. It's recognized. I'm sure I I look forward to seeing flashbacks where it is maybe thicker and more rich. But that's casting seems to be right on for me. Like, I'm I'm really surprised. Like, I was kind of I just was, like, kind of indifferent about him. I was super psyched about Louie's casting. Like, you guys, that kinda

Joel: I was too.

Ashley: He's so good. He's so good, and he straight up looks French creole. Like, I mean, that's another thing. Like, you just have the right look for what they're going for and

Joel: His accent, by the way, seems to be fantastic.

Joel: Yes,

Ashley: it does. It does. It does. I'm really excited because that's really I mean, Joel, like we know, Like, I know. Not everybody's from the south, but wherever you're from, if someone's doing an accent and it's terrible. It's so physically painful. And that's like we've voluntarily chosen something to love that exists in places we've lived.

Joel: Yes. Yes. Yes. And and it seems like for whatever reason, I mean, God bless British theater actors, I suppose. But but he he's nailing it. He's absolutely nailing it. Show it?

Joel: I

Joel: thought it was British, but maybe he is Australian. No. You're talking about Sam Reed. Sam so Sam Reed is Australian. Yes. I'm I'm at Jacob. Jacob

Ashley: is Yes. Yes. Yes. He French. Yes. Yes. Yo. He's so good. You're gonna have so much fun. I'm so excited.

Joel: I I I just wanna say in general, there's so much in that behind the scenes special. If you haven't seen it, you've listened to us talk about some of it, but please just dive into it. I guarantee you if you have questions or or sort of doubts about the series. I think a lot of them will be answered for you in that special.

Ashley: And huge ups There are so many women and people of color working on this show. You guys, it is something to be excited about and celebrated. This is inclusion on a really great level. I was unexpectedly blown away watching this behind this scene special. Seeing the people that are involved in in this. It's just, oh, it's like so many so many awesome voices that maybe don't always get heard.

Joel: I absolutely agree with you. It it was very heartwarming to see and and hopeful to see. I think I feel like, honestly, after that special, the show overall is in good hands. Not just with AMC, but with the creative team specifically. So kudos. Quickly, before we wrap up this series this episode, I wanna talk for a moment about how we see the structure of this thing going forward. I've sort of hinted at it a couple of times because it it is clear, first and foremost, we've got two series to start with. Interview with the vampire and may fear the lives of the may fear which is that are both gonna be coming this fall. In my mind, I think it's going to be hard for this first season to end on anything other than the assassination attempt on the start by Claudia and Louis. I I can't think of another good place. I do. And then I think season two starts with Louis and Claudia's European journey without L'Estad. Now, I could imagine a scenario where

Joel: I

Joel: haven't looked at

Ashley: any, like, casting like, you guys, I've been so off hands with this not wanting to, like, ruin it that I haven't even really been on IMDB just to see kind of like, if there's any accidental spoiler castings in there? You know what I mean? Like, characters that we shouldn't see yet or that we will see upcoming?

Joel: So, you know, now that you mentioned it, I haven't really done that either. I haven't dove deep into that. I mean, I I do know that there are there are eight episodes in this first season. And if you just sort of think about the story, I I mean, I could see a scenario in which the executives say to themselves, oh, I'd really like for this this interview this first book to go three seasons. Can you make three seasons out of it? But to me, I can't see what season ending beat you have before the assassination on Lustat. I mean, there are lots of great

Ashley: beats for them. Before. There is I don't think there's a good one to end it before. Is that is that the plan that it's a that this book is a three season venture?

Joel: No. No. I'm I'm I'm sort of talking out of my behind here. No. Yeah. That's just my I do think I do think they're gonna make this book last more than one season. Because, again, I think their plan is we wanna get Leshat out on his own as quickly as we can. And maybe continue telling Louis stories while L'Estat's story is also being told. Yeah. And and you also have to think about the structure of Hollywood and and the contracts. Right? These characters are going to make more money for every season of an individual show that they're in, but You can keep the contract about the same if you take that character and that actor and move him to a different show. Right? So if you have Sam Reed in the seventh season of interview with the Vampire, it's gonna cost x. But if you have him in the first season or the second season of Queen of the damned or the Vampire L'Estat or whatever else you call it, just playing the same character, you can keep his legally speaking. I mean, according to the union, you can keep his contract at a lower rate. You know what I mean? Think about the structure of Netflix series. They don't go more than three. Why? Because contracts accelerate at that point. Everybody gets a pay raise after three or four seasons. It's contractually required by the union. So if they change the name of the series, and they sort of move these characters around the universe in and out of each other's series as necessary. I think you can keep the pay raises more reasonable, and you can sort of thank and reward different actors by allowing them to be featured, have meteor roles, the ensemble sort of focuses around them instead of you know, Louis, in this case, which this is gonna be a very Louis forward series for a while. Again, I just I feel like you're gonna get probably two, maybe three, seasons of this, then you'll get two, three seasons of the Vampire L'Estat. I think they're gonna do a big crossover episode series called Queen of the damned. A season or two. Because here's the thing. Think about Queen of the damned is the first time where the Tallamasko really comes into the vampire story. Yeah. The Tallahasco will have been building for two, three, four years, maybe. Already was The Witches series. Exactly. You can bring in Ex well, you've got exactly, you've got the connection to the Maeur family already through that book. I think probably ,and her family are going to be Maeur's. Yeah. I think those families are going to be connected.

Ashley: I think that would be incredible. I think that's a super smart way to do it, but that's I I do expect super crossover with these series. I do expect to see a lot of the same actors crossing over into and out of I think some of the time changes they've made have set it up to be to be even more conducive to that. That. And and I think that that's super exciting. The idea that we might see, like, L'Estat and Louis show up at a party at the Mayfair house. You know what I mean? Because now that could happen. That's the way that's set up now it could happen.

Joel: Absolutely. Absolutely, I could. And again, especially with this whole adaptation, with that thought in mind, Anne's worlds have never been quite so closely united. The the lives of the Mayfair witches are largely their own sort of referenced in the background. And then only crossover in a couple of specific books. But AMC owns the rights to all of that. I don't believe. I haven't read that they've purchased the rights to the Ramsay's books. But again, Ramsay's is referenced by various, I believe, at one point. So those books could exist in this universe as well. Ian's got some books about Weirwolds also. There's no reason why all these things couldn't cross over and connect. Again, if the if the writing is pretty good, if the if the audience shows up for it, I think AMC is excited to spend the coin. So the possibilities for this thing are huge.

Ashley: Y'all, they have put the money in. You if you watch that behind the scenes, you will see it in the costumes, in the production design. That That is a love letter to New Orleans. It is absolutely beautiful.

Joel: I I can't wait for this thing to get started. I am so so unbelievably enhances.

Ashley: I'm so excited.

Joel: It's it's gonna be so good.

Ashley: Okay. I have to say this because I thought this one of the coolest. I know we're getting ready to wrap up. But I thought this was so freaking fascinating and how have we not done this before, but they were talking about special effects in this in this in this behind the scenes episode. And they made these like basically like pools of blood that are just like final pull ups that you could pull up and off the floor in place in different positions.

Joel: Yes.

Joel: Oh my god. Okay. Actually, I immediately thought of, do you remember the fake dog puke that you could buy Absolutely. Of course. That's immediately what I thought of. I was like, wait a minute. I've seen this before except it was junky. Yeah.

Ashley: Yes. A hundred percent. A hundred percent. One of the nicest things that I heard in in this whole special was just some reassurance from the cast and the crew about their respect and love for Anne and her work. And and our our lovely Luis said trust us because we love her too. And I just that really hit my heart so hard because they all do seem to have this really deep love, affection, and respect for her and her work. And I think that's you guys, I think we're gonna be really, really pleased with the result.

Joel: I a hundred percent agree Roland Jones was talking about having an overall meeting with AMC, and they had discussed a bunch things and, like, literally, he's getting up to walk away. And AMC says, I'm sure you're not interested in this, but, hey, we we just bought the rights to all of Anne Rice's books. What do you think about that? And he says, I need to do this and immediately had a pitch. And so, yes, these are people who love these books, who love Anne in the world that she's created, I will say, I wish that I had heard something from Christopher Rice recently in public because it makes me wonder if he's involved at all, has he had any say did they fairly compensate? Has he seen something and doesn't like it? Is he just contractually not allowed to? Who knows? We don't know? He could be in. Listen. Christopher can feel any way that he wants to feel about this

Ashley: series, and

Joel: it still may be good and enjoyable for us that he's allowed to have that as an son. But that's by one trepidation still is that he's not talking about it. And I kinda Okay. He's got to be excited. Right?

Ashley: I I would hope so. I I would hope so. I hope that this is a project that that he can be proud of. I hope that it turns out that way. Like, that's what I really really hope. Like, I think it's gonna be a project that you and I are pumped about regardless. It's and we're gonna have such a great time. But I really hope that this turns out to be something that he looks at and is really proud of the work he he's done in the work that his amazing, brilliant, beautiful mother did.

Joel: So perfectly said, alright, we are gonna end on that one. I -- Yeah. -- you had a perfect thought last episode and then we brought feedback into it. We're not gonna do it this week, folks. We're saving the feedback. Alright. Please, you can't send the feedback though.

Ashley: Yeah. Yeah.

Joel: That's right. Send us some more. Go find us on Facebook. The links in the show notes, Facebook and Twitter. You can find us there and and interact with us. We've got an email address somewhere too, but who knows if I'm even gonna check that? Get to us on Facebook, join the Facebook group, and you can interact with us there. Ashley will see it as well as I will, and and one of us will be sure to respond. And We'll we'll talk about it on the show too. We're gonna be here every week during the airing of this series. If there's a break in between it and may lives of the Mayfair, which is we may take couple of weeks off, but we'll be back with lives of the Mayfair Witch series as well. And then in the off season, who knows what we'll do? Maybe we'll even read another book.

Ashley: Maybe we will. It might take us two and a half years to do it.

Joel: Well, we can't take that long because AMC's gonna be cranking out these series faster than that. So you've

Ashley: gotta we've gonna be on top of the ratings. But, yeah, I absolutely still wanna keep like, as we kind of come up upon the book books to hit them for sure. And maybe even ahead of time if we need to kind of set that. But I I can't not talk about books. The books are the books of a honey.

Joel: Absolutely. Absolutely. Oh my gosh. Folks, it's time. It's time for interview with the vampire. Get your AMC in order. It's gonna be airing Sunday nights at ten PM on AMC proper. And apparently, it's gonna be available Sunday mornings on AMC Plus. If you use the app. That's how Ashley and I are gonna be watching it, and then we're gonna try to have these episodes discussing each episode of the TV series out for you basically when it drops on cable. So hopefully, by Sunday nights, you'll be able to listen to it. And we'll be back with you again on October second for that first

Ashley: necessarily It's here. Actually, it's here. Here. I feel like it's Christmas or or Halloween. Even better. It feels like Halloween and I have the perfect costume.

Joel: Woo hoo. Alright. We'll be back soon. Until then, we've been your hosts.

Ashley: Ashley Wright Eiler.

Joel: And I'm Joel Sharpton, and this is the articulate company.

Joel: Thanks for listening to the Articulate Coveen. You can join our community on Facebook by following the links in the show notes or searching for articulate Kevin on Facebook. You can subscribe to the show in Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, or at articulate coveben dot com, and share us with your AmRice loving friends.