TAGGED AS: AMC Plus, Anne Rice, TV, vampires
Previously known as season 3 of Interview With the Vampire, AMC’s highly anticipated The Vampire Lestat picks up with Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) picking up the mic, both figuratively and literally. The first two seasons of the series garnered massive critical and fan acclaim for their narrative prowess and powerhouse performances, with the series heavily following the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac, played by Jacob Anderson. In 2026, season 3 of the series will shift in tone and perspective, with a rock ‘n’ roll edge, as Lestat takes center stage. The only thing that can quell our anticipation is to swoon over all that has led to this point and speculate on what comes next.
Read on, as we break down who’s in it, who’s behind it, and how we think The Vampire Lestat will tell his story. And be sure to check back here, as we will update you with all the latest news on casting, trailers, and storylines as they become available.
Please note: Below contains spoilers for Seasons 1 and 2 of Interview with a Vampire and potential spoilers for Season 3
While there is still no confirmation of an official premiere date or episode slate, production for season 3 began on June 20, and the season will premiere in 2026.
The creative team behind seasons 1 and 2 of Interview With the Vampire has returned for season 3 with showrunner and executive producer Rolin Jones leading the charge.
Music is the anchor for this season, and the sonic identity of Rockstar Lestat is being created by series composer Daniel Hart. We have already gotten a taste of what Lestat sounds like with the release of the ballad “Come to Me” from season 1 and the single “Long Face” at San Diego Comic Con 2024.
Sam Reid reprises his role as the unpredictable Lestat de Lioncourt, flanked by Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy.
With this season following the origins of Lestat, we anticipate the depiction of his human upbringing and learning about his family, with Jennifer Ehle joining the series as Gabrielle, Lestat’s mother.
The ancient vampire world continues to expand as Christopher Heyerdahl will play ancient vampire Marius, and Damien Atkins will join as Lestat’s maker, Magnus. Additional casting includes Ella Ballentine as Baby Jenks and Jeanine Serralles as Lestat’s lawyer, Christine Claire.
Fan favorites Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman will return in their roles as Claudia and Armand, respectively. The season 3 press release also names the return of Christopher Geary as the vampire Sam Barclay, Gopal Divan as Louis’ doctor Fareed Bhansali, Justin Kirk as Daniel’s Talamasca insider Raglan James, and Joseph Potter as Lestat’s former lover and fledgling Nicolas de Lenfent. Notably, there is no public casting announcement for Queen Akasha (posthumously played by Aaliyah in the 2002 film Queen of the Damned). However, at the SDCC panel for the series, showrunner Rolin Jones stated that the role has been cast and will be announced at a later date.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, during Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire panel, AMC screened a new teaser trailer featuring Lestat prepping for an interview in what we assume to be the “Rockstar Vampire Lestat” portion of the next season. Sexy, put upon, and fierce as ever, this playful teaser sets up a Lestat-filled third season that will give fans of the campy vamp much to chew on.
There is also a newly released sneak peek featurette that provides some behind-the-scenes footage of the forthcoming season, featuring raucous, vibrant concert scenes with Sam Reid revealing the third season will be referred to as The Vampire Lestat.
Additionally, at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con, another short teaser was featured, showcasing clips of human Lestat, more concert scenes, and an explosive, litigious confrontation between Lestat and Louis. As of the time of publication, AMC has not released this teaser online.
(Photo by AMC)
Lestat as a rockstar is an unexpected yet exciting turn for the series, and it opens up a world of possibilities. Many have speculated on what type of rockstar Lestat would be, with inspiration predictions ranging from David Bowie to Hozier to Mick Jagger to Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter from 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The latter seems most likely, with showrunner Rolin Jones saying, “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.”
Season 3 follows Lestat as he embarks on a tour with his band and offers an exclusive interview into his side of the story with Daniel. The season will focus on understanding the vampire that is Lestat, as well as his life before he met Louis in New Orleans. We can anticipate a look into Lestat’s torrid home life and vampire genesis, as well as how his newfound fame will affect his vampiric life. In a sneak peek trailer from AMC, Sam Reid says, “In season 3, Lestat is living a rockstar life in its most hedonistic, authentic way. Right now, he wants to be completely engulfed in the music; it ignites a fire in him.”
Louis will be busy taking on the entirety of the vampiric world. His final words of season 2 (“I own the night”) are a bold invitation for any vampire who may want to confront him over his words upon the release of his interview with Daniel.
Meanwhile, the newly minted vampire Daniel will have his hands full conducting Lestat’s response interview, while also navigating his new bout of immortality. At the end of Season 2, we learn that Daniel has been abandoned by his maker, Armand, and we assume Season 3 will pick up with Daniel on the search for his maker, recounting the events that led to his transformation.
With the casting of characters like Baby Jenks and the season 2 mention from Lestat that he has the blood of Akasha within, we can assume that some elements of the 1989 novel, Queen of the Damned, will appear this season (with the Mother of all vampires perhaps appearing earlier than anticipated).
Gabreilla’s casting has book fans anticipating the exploration of Lestat’s complex relationship with his mother, whom he eventually turns into a vampire in the book. With the introduction of Marius and Magnus, the season is undoubtedly poised to offer some additional insight into the traumatic turnings of Armand and Lestat, which were briefly alluded to in Seasons 1 and 2.
With the return of Delainey Hayles, this opens up the possibility of hearing more ruminations from Lestat on Claudia, furthering the connection between the two. Although we saw a heartbreaking scene between Louis and Lestat at the end of Season 2, Season 3 could produce some strife between the two after the release of Molloy’s book.
A short trailer shown at Comic Con this year featured a scene between Lestat and Louis (aided by their lawyers) engaging in an intense argument. Some fans are speculating that this scene is the pair sparring legally over the contents of the book, with the vampire Lestat none too pleased with his depiction. Could a potential civil suit await amidst the vampire chaos? We’ll be glued to our screens to find out.
Season 1 of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is available to stream on Netflix, and seasons 1 and 2 are on AMC+ or available on VOD.
