Spoilers ahead for the finale of The Vampire Lestat.

For years now, AMC has worked on a book-to-screen adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. We were recently treated to the third season on the network (and streaming with an AMC+ subscription), which was retitled The Vampire Lestat. The season finale's stakes were very high, and the episode was a blast. But I've still got a bone to pick with the last episode.

The Vampire Lestat's reviews praised its unique vision and tone, and the seven-episode season was a wild ride from start to finish. And while I was endlessly fascinated by the contents of Episode 7, "The Failures", I was disappointed that so many narrative threads were left unresolved. Especially because another season hasn't been officially greenlit just yet.

The Season Finale Left Me With So Many Questions

The Vampire Lestat was a joy to watch throughout the season, with the audience finally getting the perspective of Sam Reid's title character after hearing Louis' memories of him for two previous seasons. The season had action and heartache, but also a great deal of intrigue. Namely because Episode 1 featured a mysterious time jump where Lestat was seemingly dead, Louis and Armand were injured, and the entire planet was recovering from an unknown "global catastrophe."

The penultimate episode of the season saw Lestat and Louis reunite... before being promptly decapitated by Armand and Daniel. The stakes were high with vampires gearing up for Lestat's concert, so I thought said catastrophe was coming. Alas, we didn't get any real answers about what happens that would be such a worldwide event.

Maybe this was expecting too much, as the finale episode had plenty of thrilling moments for us to enjoy. Whether it was seeing both Louis and Lestat surviving after being decapitated or the reveal that Armand was behind Regina connecting with Louis, we got so much out of Episode 7. But what we didn't get is the reveal of Lestat's fate, and exactly what occurred that seemingly ended the world as we know it.

While the final moments of the episode saw Sam Reid's character in some destroyed city after recording the narration we heard from him all season, exactly what happened during this apocalypse remains to be seen. What's more, I'm curious about what happened to poor Regina after coming face to face with Louis' severed head.

Clearly there are still questions surrounding Interview with the Vampire, so hopefully AMC will go ahead and green-light a fourth season. Otherwise, fans like me will be left in the dark.

The Vampire Lestat is now available to watch in its entirety as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Fingers crossed that another season ends up happening so that I don't stay bitter about the finale forever.

Spoilers ahead for The Vampire Lestat Episode 6!

Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire has been made into movies and stage plays, but in recent years it's made its way to TV courtesy of AMC. The book-to-screen adaptation has been a wild ride during its three seasons on the air, with the most recent being retitled, featuring a big time jump and getting a new narrator. Reviews for The Vampire Lestat have been super positive, although I've been missing Louis and Lestat's romantic relationship throughout most of the season. They finally got together in the penultimate episode, "Montreal", but now I'm stressed out about Loustat's fate.

While there was a question about how much Louis would be featured in Season 3, Jacob Anderson's character has remained a vital part of the narrative. I was thrilled when he and Lestat finally made up and seemingly got back together last episode... before Armand and Daniel appeared and promptly decapitated them both. And if that's a sign of what's to come in the finale "The Failures", I'm feeling very nervous for the vampire lovers.

Louis and Lestat Finally Reunited, But They're In So Much Danger

The stakes have never been higher for The Vampire Lestat, which is why now is the perfect time for fans to invest in an AMC+ subscription. After doing a séance to speak to Claudia's spirit, Louis and Lestat finally seemed like they were back in a good place. But their decapitation definitely changed things, and I have to wonder how they'll recover... both physically and emotionally.

Throughout this season, we followed Sam Reid's Lestat as a rock star getting into his POV for the first time in the series. While learning about his past, we also saw how hurt he was over what Louis told Daniel during his infamous interview. It took six episodes to get them back together, with the pair finally becoming a unit. At least, until that cliffhanger ending of "Montreal." My joy in their reconciliation was cut short (literally), and now I'm just in fear mode.

Decapitation aside, The Vampire Lestat has also been building toward a larger conflict. The first episode opened in a not-too-distant future, where a "global catastrophe" has occurred, and both Louis and Armand are seen with some serious injuries. We should presumably learn what happens in the upcoming finale, as well as whether or not Lestat actually perishes in the upcoming conflict.

Something bad is coming, and if Lestat actually dies, that'll make his reunion with Louis even more tragic. They only got to be a unit again very briefly, despite their years of history. I was so happy to see the pair back together, but now I'm nervous that tragedy is about to happen.

The Vampire Lestat airs new episodes Sundays as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Hopefully my two favorite vamps manage to survive the forthcoming finale.

June is Pride Month, and there's plenty of A+ content about queer stories hitting TV and the big screen. Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire has a long history for LGBTQ+ community, and we're a few episodes into the show's third season on AMC. Retitled The Vampire Lestat, the book to screen adaptation has once again caught my attention. Although there's one big thing I'm missing from its firs two seasons on the air.

Reviews for The Vampire Lestat are quite positive, and in many ways it feels like a brand new show. We are now finally in Lestat's POV, which stands in juxtaposition to some of the stories Louis told in the first two season (streaming with a Netflix subscription). It's wild watching Sam Reid's character tour as a rock star, but there is on essential ingredient I wish was still included.

I Miss The Romance Between Lestat And Louis

In the first two seasons of Interview with the Vampire, Sam Reid's Louis tells the story of his long life to Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). The heart of the story is about his romantic connection with Lestat, who transforms him into a vampire and creates a family unit alongside Claudia. Their queerness was noticeably left out of the Interview with the Vampire movie, and in my opinion it helped make the show even more captivating. But The Vampire Lestat is largely set in 2025, after the title character and Louis have become estranged following the release of Daniel's book.

While both Louis and Lestat remain major characters in the new season, I'm missing their love story, which was previously central to the story. It remains to be seen if they end up making up, but right now I'm missing the experience of shipping these two blood suckers.

Interview with the Vampire has brutal kills and an intriguing decades-long story that still captures my attention. Having Lestat take center stage for Season 3 offers a new and exciting perspective on Anne Rice's beloved story, but I still miss the love triangle that was established in the first two seasons between Lestat, Louis, and Armand. Hopefully we get to explore more of this dynamic in the remaining episodes of the season.

Of course, there are plenty of other thrilling narrative threads that are being pulled on in The Vampire Lestat. To start, the first episode's time-jump saw an injured Louis and Armand following Lestat's apparent death, as well as a mysterious "global catastrophe." What's more, I'm curious about the waitress Louis visits who resembles a grown-up Claudia. I'll be tuning in to each new episode... and crossing my fingers that the show's love story returns.

New episodes of Interview with the Vampire air Sundays on AMC as part of the 2026 TV schedule. For now, folks can re-watch the first two seasons over on Netflix.

The Vampire Lestat isn’t actually the first season of a new series, so there may be some confusion as it premieres on the 2026 TV schedule. The AMC show is effectively Interview with the Vampire Season 3, shifting to the perspective of Sam Reid’s Lestat de Lioncourt following that emotional Season 2 ending. I was a bit unsure about the new series; IWTV is great, but AMC’s other Anne Rice book-to-screen adaptation Mayfair Witches has been up and down. However, these rave reviews and a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score have made up my mind.

Interview with the Vampire was already considered one of the best vampire shows before it shifted to Lestat’s POV under a new title, and according to Ben Travers of IndieWire’s review of The Vampire Lestat, the new horror series deserves a place on the list, too, for an “unchecked bravado” that’s hard to find these days. The critic gives it a B+, writing:

Critics were given 6 of the season’s 7 episodes to screen, and Rotem Rusak of Nerdist rates them 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing that Lestat takes us on a “fangulous journey” that’s unlike anything else on TV. Rusak praises Sam Reid for the depth he brings to his character, and she applauds how the series honors Interview with the Vampire’s LGBTQ+ history. In the critic’s words:

Judy Berman of Time’s The Vampire Lestat review calls it an “alternately rollicking and gutting work of apocalyptic camp,” writing:

Lacy Baugher of Den of Geek gives it 4.5 stars out of 5, writing that it’s a thoroughly enjoyable evolution to what is, “hands down, one of the best adaptations in television history.” The events of the series expand, reframe and even contradict what we learned on Interview with the Vampire Seasons 1 and 2, playing into the idea that this is a story being told, sometimes by unreliable narrators. Baugher lauds Sam Reid’s talents, writing:

Sherin Nicole of RogerEbert calls this “gothic alt-rock opera” delicious and malicious, as we realize that the Lestat we knew from IWTV was merely Louis’ interpretation — a version both villainized and idealized — and in The Vampire Lestat we are meeting the real character for the first time. Nicole says:

It isn’t just the critics above who are praising The Vampire Lestat for its bold storytelling and title change — the series premiered to a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. If you were a fan of Interview with the Vampire’s first two seasons (which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription or on AMC+), you’ll want to waste no time jumping into Lestat’s take on immortality

New episodes drop at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on AMC and can be streamed with an AMC+ subscription.

When Interview with the Vampire returns for its third season, it will have a new name: The Vampire Lestat. That’s because, in this upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, the focus will shift from Louis to Lestat, as it follows the events of Anne Rice’s book about the rockstar vampire played by Sam Reid. So, considering the fact that Louis isn’t as involved in that story, I’ve been wondering how involved Jacob Anderson’s vampire will be in the show’s next installment. Now, the showrunner has opened up about it.

If you watched this great AMC show on that network or with a Netflix subscription, you know that Louis is the focus of the story. We follow him as he adjusts to being a vampire, and Lestat is very involved in the first part of his story. Then, in Season 2, while Sam Reid is in every episode, he’s acting as a figment of Louis’ imagination and doesn’t actually physically show up as Lestat until the end. So, as the focus shifts over to him, I’ve been wondering how Louis will play into the tale as the vampire who turned him steps into the spotlight. Addressing that, showrunner Rolin Jones told EW:

For context, there are a bunch of books in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series. Based on what Jones said here, they plan to pull from those for this season of The Vampire Lestat. Therefore, we’ll get to see more of Louis than we would have if it were solely taking inspiration from the book the season is named after.

Plus, there’s precedent for this kind of thing. As I mentioned, Sam Reid is in a lot of Season 2, even though Lestat is not literally with Louis. He appears as almost a ghost before actually showing up at the very end. So, I'm curious to see if that's how Anderson's character is presented in The Vampire Lestat, because these two vampires are definitely haunted by each other.

The trailer for The Vampire Lestat also proves that Louis has a substantial role to play in this season of television, even though we might not know how just yet. To that point, the showrunner said:

Well, I’m so excited and very worried, because I fear my heart will be ripped out of my chest. If you know the history of Interview with the Vampire, you know that tragedy and drama are par for the course when it comes to Louis and Lestat’s story. However, we’re in uncharted waters here, and I have no clue what’s coming down the pipe for these two, considering we now know that Anderson’s story this season probably won’t be expected.

So, prepare accordingly, people. The Vampire Lestat is coming on the 2026 TV schedule, both Lestat and Louis will be there, and it’s bound to be emotional, intense and bloody.

Since 1976, Interview with the Vampire has been captivating audiences. The tale of Louis, Lestat, Claudia and co. is seen as a remarkable Gothic tale about vampires as they navigate life together, and for a long time, it was praised as a gay allegory. Then, the TV adaptation of Anne Rice’s books came along, and the subtext was no longer under the surface. Now, we’re here to talk about this evolution and more as we discuss the LGBTQ+ history of this beloved story.

In Both The Book And The Movie For Interview With The Vampire, Louis And Lestat Are Never Confirmed As A Couple

In both the 1976 book Interview with the Vampire and the 1994 film adaptation that Anne Rice also wrote (that can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription), Louis and Lestat are not an obviously defined couple. It’s clear they share an undeniable bond; there are incredibly romantic and at times erotic moments between them, and the love they have for each other is clear. However, technically, they aren’t lovers.

Yes, they co-parent Claudia, and yes, they lived together for a very long time. However, without a clearly defined title for their relationship, technically, it’s not confirmed that Louis and Lestat were romantic based on the first book and the movie alone.

Along with that, Rice’s vampires do not have a sexual relationship in the movie or book, as CBR pointed out. While they love each other and have romantic moments, Rice said they couldn’t have sex after their bodies physically died. So, at least for the first part of this story’s history, they weren’t intimate in that way.

However, it could be interpreted in a way that made it clear they were romantically in love, and for decades, Louis and Lestat have been icons in LGBTQ+ media.

For Decades, Both The Book And The Movie Adaptation Of Interview With The Vampire Have Been Viewed As Queer-Coded Texts

Back in 2012, Anne Rice did an interview with Gizmodo where she confirmed that Louis and Lestat were a same-sex couple with a child. She was asked about the vampires being dads to Claudia, and people interpreting them that way. In response, the author exclaimed:

She also confirmed that she hadn’t really thought about that idea before, and then, when the journalist asked if we could say Louis and Lestat were “a same-sex couple with children,” Rice said:

All of that is to say that for years, decades even, this story, which is both a great book and one of the best vampire movies, has been read as queer-coded.

To hammer this point home further, IndieWire published a list of queer and homoerotic horror movies. When Interview with the Vampire was discussed, screenwriter Michael Varrati had this to say about Neil Jordan’s movie that starred Brad Pitt as Louis and Tom Cruise as Lestat:

While some people didn’t realize the subtext in this story, many others felt very seen by it. In a tribute to Rice on Nerdist, Eric Diaz wrote about why her books spoke to so many. He explained:

He went on to explain that Louis' story of coming to terms with who he was and Lestat’s belief that “their outsider nature gave them a unique perspective on humanity that no one else had,” was “a gift.”

Later on, in 2017, during an interview with The Daily Beast (via NBC), Rice said she was “very honored” that her work was viewed as a gay allegory. She also explained that she’s “always been very much a champion of gay rights, and art produced by gay people.”

As I mentioned, for decades, people have loved the allegory that came with Interview with the Vampire, and Louis and Lestat’s relationship specifically is an iconic queer-coded relationship. Well, that subtext got thrown out the window when the AMC show premiered, because nothing is under the surface; it is simply and proudly gay.

AMC’s Interview With The Vampire Actually Made Louis And Lestat LGBTQ+ Characters And A Couple

Now, cut to 2022, and the release of the great AMC series, Interview with the Vampire. This book-to-screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s beloved novel leaves nothing up to interpretation, really, when it comes to Louis and Lestat’s identities and their romance; they explicitly are in a loving and romantic (yet toxic) relationship.

In the first episode of the series, which you can stream on AMC+ or with a Netflix subscription, Louis and Lestat, who are played by Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid, respectively, have a threesome that ends with just the two of them having sex. They are a couple, and that 100% plays into the story. Louis’ struggle to accept his own identity isn’t an allegory; his sexuality and being a vampire are both part of it. And Lestat is as unapologetic and boisterous as always; however, in this show, he’s even louder and prouder about it.

Along with all that (and spoilers for Season 2 are ahead), Louis and Lestat are not the only LGBTQ+ characters in the series. Armand’s role is amplified, as he and Louis are a couple for decades after they meet in Paris. And while they’re in Paris, Claudia falls in love with the woman who became her companion before they both met their tragic ends.

This show unabashedly and proudly embraces the queer subtext of Interview with the Vampire that’s been loved for so long, and it makes it a huge part of the story. That’s expected to continue too with the release of Season 3, which will be called The Vampire Lestat after Anne Rice’s second book in The Vampire Chronicles.

So, this history will continue, and we’ll get to keep seeing these marvelous characters on our screens!

For the first two seasons of Interview with the Vampire – which you can now stream with a Netflix subscription – we are hearing Louis du Pointe du Lac’s side of the story. That means our views of characters like Claudia, Armand,and, maybe most importantly, Lestat, are skewed because they’re clouded by his judgment and memories. However, that all changed at the end of Season 2 with Louis and Lestat’s final scene, and I need to talk about why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

In this scene I’m referring to, Jacob Anderson’s Louis has returned to New Orleans for the first time in a very long time. After going on a tour of the city and hearing an incorrect, yet entertaining story about his life with Lestat, he went and found the French vampire. This marked the first time we saw Sam Reid’s vampire in the present, and that is the key to why this moment has stuck with me.

It’s The Only Scene Louis And Lestat Share In The Present

I always wondered why we never saw Claudia or Lestat in the present, and Season 2 of this book-to-screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s work gave us answers to those questions. In the final episode of the installment, which can also be streamed on AMC+, it was revealed that the young vampire died while the French vampire and Louis became estranged after their final interaction in Paris.

That happened, in part, because Louis never knew the truth of what Lestat did during his trial. Meaning, he didn’t know that it was Lestat who saved him, not Armand. So during their interaction in New Orleans, their first real interaction in decades, they address what really happened, as Anderson’s character fully comes to terms with what Reid’s character did for him.

Louis also thanked Lestat for this “gift,” Lestat finally asked him about that night in San Francisco, tearfully wondering if Louis had hurt himself, and they cried about the loss of Claudia. It’s the most emotionally vulnerable scene in the show based on what’s said alone. However, it’s the truth and objectivity of it that make it breathtaking and unforgettable.

It’s Also The Only Scene Involving Lestat That Isn’t From Louis' Perspective

Arguably, one of the many reasons why Interview with the Vampire is one of the best vampire shows has to do with how it’s narrated. The first two seasons of this series about immortality are told through Louis’ eyes, and as the episodes go on, it becomes clear that there are gaps in his memory, and the way he tells the story isn’t always the most truthful. He's an unreliable narrator. So you have to take every flashback, which means basically every scene of Lestat, with a grain of salt.

However, the final scene they shared is different; it’s not a flashback, and it’s not part of the story Louis is telling Daniel for his book. No, this scene in New Orleans is in the present, it has no narrator – at least from my point of view – and that means it is the most objective, honest and unfiltered interaction between Louis and Lestat.

Even if this scene was a flashback and told from Louis' point of view, it’d be emotional. However, the fact that they came back together for the first time in a very long time outside the parameters of the interview and in the present means that it was real.

It wasn’t clouded by judgment. It wasn’t plagued or flawed by memory. It was simply Louis and Lestat’s most recent interaction, captured exactly as it happened.

That’s not the case for the rest of their story, and that, my dear friends, is why I can’t stop thinking about Louis and Lestat’s final interaction in Season 2.

Oh, Netflix just added a great one for you. While we’re constantly talking about the 2025 TV schedule and what’s new on it, the streamer added a season of a show with 99% on Rotten Tomatoes that aired in 2024 that you need to stream with a Netflix subscription ASAP. This project I’m talking about is Season 2 of the AMC series Interview with the Vampire, and trust me when I say, you’re going to want to sink your teeth into this one.

The Rotten Tomatoes numbers speak for themselves. This book-to-screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s beloved series is 1% off 100%, which speaks to the overall acclaim this incredible vampire show has received over the years.

Now, I personally fell head over heels for this project very recently. Season 1 has been available on Netflix for a while, and I streamed it with one of my best friends and her partner, who were already massive fans of the series and its source material. They couldn’t stop gushing about it, so I sank my teeth into it, too, and it was irresistible.

So, obviously, we had to watch Season 2 immediately, which led to a short-lived subscription to the AMC+ streaming service, which is where new episodes of Interview with the Vampire and other projects in the Anne Rice universe air their newest work.

However, now it’s available in another place, and trust me when I say: You need to watch this show now, it’s brilliant!

For those who might not know, the first two seasons of Interview with the Vampire follow the events of the book of the same name, and it's told from the perspective of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson). He recalls the tale of being turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) in New Orleans during the early 1900s and the immortal life that followed to a journalist named Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) in the present day.

It’s a juicy and bloody tale of lust, desire and temptation, and it follows Louis, Lestat and others as they dive into the world of vampirism. However, overall, it’s a secluded season. There aren’t many other vampires, and it focuses primarily on Louis, Lestat and their turbulent, to put it lightly, love story that is fueled by their undeniable, palpable chemistry.

Season 2 picks up not long after the events of Season 1, and – without giving too much away – is set in Paris. New vampires enter the picture, and Louis and an important character from Season 1 named Claudia (who is played by Delainey Hayles in Season 2) wind up mixed up with them as they learn the rules, lore and drama surrounding the creatures they’ve become.

In many ways, Season 2 is even better than Season 1, as it really addresses the complexity of memory and the stories we tell ourselves, seeing as this entire tale is being recalled by Louis decades and decades after it actually happened. It’s rich, bloody and oh so desirable, and trust me when I say, you’ll likely devour every episode.

Plus, it’s important to get on this train now, because there’s more, and I mean a lot more, coming. First of all, Interview with the Vampire will return in 2026 under a new name, The Vampire Lestat, as it shifts perspectives to Sam Reid’s French rockstar vampire and follows the events of the second book in this series. Also, along with this great show about immortality, the Anne Rice universe on AMC features the series Mayfair Witches and the new show Talamasca, which will premiere its first season on October 26.

So, there’s a lot to look forward to, but before you do that, you need to watch this incredibly highly rated series on Netflix as soon as humanly (or vampirically) possible.

As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I’ve been having a blast with the Anne Rice Immortal Universe in the past few years, especially thanks to the excellent Interview With The Vampire series. A third series from the universe called Talamasca: The Secret Order is set to join the 2025 TV schedule, but I have to be honest: I really haven’t had high expectations or much interest in it. That is, until I went to San Diego Comic-Con last week and saw a first look at it during the Anne Rice Universe panel.

Since a first look at the third season of Interview with the Vampire was set to happen during the panel, I was primarily there for that, and to be blunt, would have probably sat out the Talamasca panel if it had been a separate event. However, I have a feeling AMC knew that’s been the vibe for a lot of fans of this universe, so they put the two panels together, and I’m happy they did. After learning about the new series, there are a few reasons why I’ll be tuning in!

Talamasca Being A Spy Thriller Set In The Immortal Universe Hooked Me

While at the San Diego Comic-Con panel, the show’s creators drew me in when they pitched the show as a spy thriller set in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe. The show was also written by John Lee Hancock, who has penned and helmed a lot of solid movies over the years, from Saving Mr. Banks to The Founder, The Blind Side, The Rookie and The Highwaymen.

If you’ve also been watching the other Anne Rice shows like I have, you know that the Talamasca is a secret society that is dedicated to monitoring the supernatural world and maintaining the balance between the mortal and supernatural realms. I never thought about it before, but imagining the Talamasca as this spy organization under the lens of an espionage thriller is a really inspired way for the series to set itself apart from the other Anne Rice shows, along with other supernatural series.

Its first season is also a tight six episodes, so it sounds like there’s an intentional story with this concept set to unfold. During the panel, they also teased that it will be one of the more horror-heavy Anne Rice series as well, which had me stunned considering all the brutal kills we’ve already seen in Interview With The Vampire.

Its Cast Of Characters Already Have Me Intrigued, Too

Aside from the concept of Talamasca, the panel also successfully introduced me to the brand-new characters at the center of the series. It chiefly follows a character named Guy, who can read minds and has apparently been secretly groomed by the Talamasca his whole life. The actor behind the role, Nicholas Denton, is a newcomer to being a leading man in a big series, but I was successfully charmed by the actor as he talked about Guy at the panel.

Some of the other main characters introduced also had a similar effect on me. William Fichtner, whom I absolutely loved in Prison Break, is set to play a vampire named Jasper, which literally seems perfect for him. I really love the idea of a “middle-aged” vampire after so many times it’s often a younger person trying to emulate age, and I just know he’ll be spooky in the mysterious role.

Otherwise, there’s Legends Of Tomorrow’s Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Olive, Guy’s handler, who seems like a badass character. Céline Buckens plays Doris, a woman who lives with a coven of witches on a houseboat. We also saw a clip focusing on a character, Elizabeth McGovern plays, named Helen, where we were clued in on some experiments of the supernatural that took place when she was a child. I have a feeling that aspect of the series will be really central to the first season, but I’m not sure entirely how it will shake out – and that’s a good thing!

Jason Schwartzman As A Vampire? Sign Me Up.

Another reveal regarding the cast worth mentioning is the fact that Jason Schwartzman is also set to play a vampire in the series. His name is Burton, and "charming, rakish vampire, leading a cloistered life in a luxurious Upper West Side penthouse,” per Entertainment Weekly. I love seeing Schwartzman in movies and TV shows, especially when he was in The Hunger Games or just about every Wes Anderson movie to date.

I think he’ll bring some real personality to Talamasca, given that a lot of the other actors are somewhat unknown.

I'm Excited That Daniel Malloy Has A Vital Role

The other big character name drop that was announced during the Anne Rice panel was Interview With The Vampire’s Daniel Molloy. He is crossing over into Talamasca in a key role. It was revealed to us that actor Eric Bogosian would be in the series when they showed us the teaser (also available to watch on YouTube), where the investigative journalist shows up in an alleyway to tell Guy, “They’re using you, kid”.

I feel like Daniel Malloy in the spy thriller lens must have been really fun for the TV creators to work with, and I love the idea of more crossovers in the universe after the one in Mayfair Witches. Knowing that Malloy is in Talamasca also brings higher stakes for me as an audience member to check out the series, and get to see the key character (who’s now a vampire himself after Season 2), in another light outside of the framework of Interview with the Vampire. I’m also curious if and how Talamasca will connect with the other two shows at all.

After Mayfair Witches’ Season 2 was rather disappointing in my eyes, I thought I might only be an Interview With A Vampire gal in regards to this AMC universe, but Talamasca shows some real promise. I guess we’ll have to see if the marketing matches its quality once it premieres on October 26.

It seems that, with each generation, people continue to be obsessed with preserving their youth. However, I cannot say that I submit to that mentality because I have watched my fair share of movies and TV shows that deal with eternal life, and it really does not sound like all it's cracked up to be.

That being said, the mere idea of having a life without end and being able to experience multiple eras in history firsthand has always fascinated me, which is why I do tend to enjoy these kinds of stories. We could spend an eternity discussing all the best tales of immortality from the big and small screen, but here are some of the essentials.

Death Becomes Her (1992)

In Robert Zemeckis' darkly comic, classic '90s movie Death Becomes Her, actor Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) discovers that the secret to her longtime rival, author Helen Sharp's (Goldie Hawn), sudden success and "glow-up" is a potion that grants eternal youth. However, it also makes maintaining that youthful glow more challenging, especially after Madeline and Helen suffer insane accidents, which Sabrina Carpenter and Jenna Ortega parodied in the "Taste" music video.

Peter Pan (1953)

I remember looking forward to the freedoms of adulthood when I was younger, but now that I am a grown-up, I think Peter Pan and his Lost Boys had the right idea about staying in Neverland, where they could stay children forever. Steven Spielberg would even use J.M. Barrie's classic fantasy tale as the catalyst of a story exploring the loss of one's inner child in 1991's Hook, which stars Robin Williams as a grown-up Peter Pan.

Deadpool (2016)

Many of the funniest and most gruesome moments from star Ryan Reynolds' adaptation of Marvel's Deadpool comics revolve around the eponymous anti-hero's incredible healing abilities, which also prevent him from aging. Quick-witted mercenary Wade Wilson gained this blessing, or curse, after participating in an experimental program to cure his cancer, which also left him with a grotesque skin condition, inspiring him to wear a costume covering him head to toe.

Doctor Who (1963-Present)

A sci-fi TV show that has managed to get away with featuring the same character in the lead for its entire decades-long run is the British cult favorite phenomenon, Doctor Who. The title character is the last of an alien race known as the Time Lords, meaning he can continue to live on infinitely by regenerating and changing his appearance, which explains why he is played by a different actor every few seasons or so.

The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1945)

One of the most influential stories involving immortality is The Picture of Dorian Gray, in which the title character suddenly ceases to age while his likeness in a recent portrait begins to grow more decrepit over time. One of the most widely praised adaptations of the 1890 novel from Oscar Wilde stars Hurd Hatfield in the title role.

Mr. Nobody (2009)

Writer and director Jaco Van Dormael’s Mr. Nobody is unlike any other film regarding the concept of eternal youth, because the main character is the only one who is not immortal, thanks to a cutting-edge surgical process. Academy Award winner Jared Leto stars in the moving, surreal sci-fi drama as the last mortal man in a utopian future, where he recounts the life (or lives) he has experienced up to this point to a confused journalist.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

We cannot talk about eternal youth without talking about vampires, and there are few tales of the like that incorporate the theme of immortality as potently as Interview with the Vampire. Director Neil Jordan's adaptation of Anne Rice's novel stars Brad Pitt as Louis, who tells a 20th-century journalist (played by Christian Slater) the story of his life as an ageless creature of the night, dating back to the late 1700s when he is bitten by Lestat (Tom Cruise).

Hancock (2008)

In Hancock, a superhero movie not inspired by a comic book, Will Smith plays the titular boozy, homeless man, who has been mysteriously blessed with extraordinary abilities, including indestructibility and agelessness. However, he comes close to losing those gifts due to a shocking secret about his forgotten past.

Highlander (1986)

It is said in Russell Mulcahy's original cult favorite that there can only be one Highlander. However, the action-packed fantasy thriller, starring Christopher Lambert as a more-than-400-year-old Scottish warrior facing the battle of his life in modern New York City, spawned several sequels and a TV series.

True Blood (2008-2014)

One of the most popular vampire TV shows of all time is HBO's True Blood. Based on a series of novels by Charlaine Harris, the drama takes place in a world where humans and fanged creatures of the night are able to co-exist, thanks to the eponymous, synthetic substitute for blood.

Eternals (2021)

Created by legendary comic book writer and artist Jack Kirby, the Eternals are a group of superheroes given the gift of immortality, among other distinct abilities, by their creators, the Celestials. The Marvel Comic would inspire an MCU film from Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao and starring the likes of Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and more.

The Sandman (2022-2025)

The Sandman is Netflix's long-awaited series adaptation of Neil Gaiman's widely acclaimed fantasy comic book series of the same name, published under DC's Vertigo imprint in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Tom Sturridge's title character, also known as Dream and plenty of other aliases for his purpose of manipulating the human subconscious, is one of several beings known as the Endless, who each personify a different abstract concept, such as Death and Desire.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

You can always count on a filmmaker like Jim Jarmusch to come through with a stunningly unique take on the horror genre, such as with his acclaimed vampire movie, Only Lovers Left Alive. The dramedy follows the reunion between a rock star (played by Tom Hiddleston) and his lover (played by Tilda Swinton), who have been in an on-and-off relationship for a very long time.

Torchwood (2006-2011)

The Doctor may be the last of the Time Lords, but he is not the only character from the Doctor Who universe who cannot die. The hit spinoff, Torchwood, following the adventures of a secret organization defending Earth from supernatural threats, stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, who was turned immortal when he was revived by the power of the Time Vortex after he was killed by a Dalek.

In Time (2011)

Widely regarded as a movie with a brilliant concept but a lackluster execution is the Justin Timberlake-led sci-fi thriller In Time, set in a futuristic society in which people stop aging at the age of 25. However, they can only live perpetually if they have enough time, which is also treated as currency. In other words, the wealthy are truly immortal, while the poor literally struggle to survive until the next day.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

One of the funniest films about vampirism is the horror-comedy movie favorite, What We Do in the Shadows, which later inspired a hit FX series of the same name. The faux documentary follows what goes on in the lives of a group of centuries-old bloodsuckers (played by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Johnny Brugh) sharing a house in New Zealand.

Spring (2015)

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead's romantic horror movie Spring is a beautiful, Lovecraftian take on a Richard Linklater-style drama like Before Sunrise. It follows an American man (played by Lou Taylor Pucci) visiting Italy when he falls for a woman (played by Nadia Hilker), who is not only cursed with agelessness, but hides another transformative secret.

The Fountain (2006)

From Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain is a trippy thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz that is told in a nonlinear, anthology-style structure and takes place over the course of 1000 years. One segment, set in the 1500s, follows a quest for the Fountain of Youth, another centers on a modern-day surgeon and his terminally ill wife, and the last follows a man passionately tending to a tree while traveling through space in the deep future. The question the film leaves you with is whether or not Jackman's roles are all the same person.

The Age Of Adaline (2015)

One film that effectively illustrates the challenging consequences of eternal youth is The Age of Adaline. Blake Lively stars in the title role of a mid-20th-century woman who suffers a freak accident that suddenly causes her to stop aging, forcing her to go on the run and live anonymously for decades.

Forever (2014-2015)

The short-lived crime procedural Forever stars Ioan Gruffudd as a man working as a medical examiner in New York City. However, the most perplexing mystery he struggles to solve is why he has not aged in more than two centuries.

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Known for being the final film starring Academy Award winner Heath Ledger, director Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus stars Christopher Plummer in the title role, who was gifted eternal life by the Devil (Tom Waits) in exchange for the soul of his daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), once she reaches her sixteenth birthday.

Altered Carbon (2018-2020)

While most stories about eternal life are considered fantasy, the concept is not entirely implausible. For instance, the Netflix series Altered Carbon imagines a dystopian future in which immortality is achieved by digitally preserving human consciousness and uploading it into a new body.

The Man From Earth (2007)

Writer Jerome Bixby was the legendary mastermind behind some of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, and his final produced work before his death, The Man from Earth, does feel like something that would have been right up Rod Serling's alley. The film stars David Lee Smith as a professor who, during his impromptu retirement party, reveals to his colleagues the shocking revelation that he has inexplicably existed for thousands of years.

He Never Died (2015)

Without giving too much away, He Never Died is a bizarre thriller starring Henry Rollins as a man calling himself Jack, who has been on Earth longer than even he has been able to keep track of.

Cronos (1993)

The feature film debut of writer and director Guillermo del Toro, Cronos, is a chilling thriller about an ancient, highly coveted device shaped like a scarab that can grant people the gift of immortality.

Tuck Everlasting (2002)

Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting stars Alexis Bledel as a 19th-century teen who falls in love with a "young" man (played by Jonathan Jackson) whose family has accidentally discovered the Fountain of Youth.

Blade Of The Immortal (2017)

Director Takashi Miike, the mastermind behind some of the shocking Japanese horror movies of all time, brings his signature style to this live-action adaptation of the graphic novel, Blade of the Immortal. The film stars Takuya Kimura as a samurai cursed with eternal life, who is enlisted by a young girl to help avenge her father's death.

The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

Vin Diesel's Dungeons & Dragons character served as the inspiration for his role in The Last Witch Hunter, in which he plays a man whose immortality has allowed him the time to become the most skilled asset in war against witchcraft.

Zardoz (1974)

Writer and director John Boorman's Zardoz is better remembered for the ridiculous futuristic outfit that Sean Connery wears than the plot of the bizarre sci-fi adventure. The story is set in the 23rd Century, in which Connery's deadly warrior, known as Zed, comes across a community where death has been rendered obsolete.

New Amsterdam (2008)

Not to be confused with a hit NBC medical drama that happens to bear the same name, New Amsterdam is a short-lived Fox crime drama starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as a New York detective granted eternal youth by a Native American woman he saved 400 years earlier.

The Old Guard (2020)

Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, the Netflix original film The Old Guard stars Charlize Theron as the leader of a group of ageless mercenaries. It would spawn a sequel that deepens its lore, which was released in 2025.

Immortality (1998)

Also released as The Wisdom of Crocodiles to reflect the novel that inspired it, the aptly named Immortality stars Jude Law as a vampire preying on women in hopes of finding the one who redeems him.

It has been 31 years since Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt last shared the screen together in one of the best horror movies of the '90s, but on June 23 they reunited on the red carpet at the European premiere of Pitt’s F1: The Movie in London. Despite the passage of time, the two Hollywood icons demonstrated that a meaningful reunion can still feel fresh and exciting. Now I definitely feel like I need to re-watch Interview with the Vampire!

Tom Cruise, 62, didn’t make it into the 2025 movie schedule release, but that didn’t stop him from showing up to cheer on his buddy, with whom he starred in Interview with the Vampire and shared some bts go-kart racing fun. In the images, which you can see below, the two were all smiles outside Cineworld Leicester Square, sharing hugs and handshakes, and they had enough star power to light up the whole of London!

In 1994, they played dueling undead bros Lestat and Louis in Neil Jordan’s gothic blood-soaked book-to-screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s first novel in her beloved Vampire Chronicles. The film was moody, operatic, and campy in all the best ways, and seeing them side by side again looking remarkably well-preserved (almost vampiric) nearly 30 years later has me reaching for my DVD collection. Seriously, I need to revisit this Gothic classic.

The Mission: Impossible front man, rocking his signature aviators and a sharp gray suit with an open collar, looked every bit the ageless wonder we’ve come to expect. Meanwhile, the Ocean’s Eleven franchise star brought the relaxed swagger in a green double-breasted number that somehow made him look like the most stylish team principal in Formula One. The two men greeted each other with massive grins, arm slaps, and “bro” energy so strong that I bet those in attendance could hear the Top Gun guitar riff rip overhead for everyone to hear.

The film, co-produced by Pitt and Apple Original Films, features him playing a former Formula 1 driver brought out of retirement to mentor a rising star. It’s a passion project for the Missouri native, shot in collaboration with real F1 teams, and directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski, with Lewis Hamilton also producing. It’s basically the most authentic F1 movie ever committed to screen, and yes, the Moneyball actor actually drove an F1 car on track during real race weekends.

If there’s ever been a better time to revisit Interview with the Vampire, this is it. The velvet, the candles, the slow-motion existential dread; it's a masterclass in '90s gothic excess, and Cruise and Pitt are the perfectly tortured leads at its center. While AMC’s recent Television reboot (streaming with a Netflix subscription) has brought Rice’s world back into the zeitgeist, the original still slaps, and the F1 red carpet moment just gave us the perfect excuse to rewatch it.

Will these two legends ever team up again onscreen? Who knows. But after this premiere, the desire is real. For now, we’ll settle for the photos and the reminder that a Cruise-Pitt cinematic double act still hits harder than a Ferrari V12 at full throttle.

Things are about to get thrilling again on the 2025 movie schedule, thanks to F1’s fast-approaching release into theaters. As the Brad Pitt-starring racing drama has people recalling the need for speed that his previous co-star Tom Cruise tends to feel, folks want to know if a reunion could ever be on the way. While Mr. Pitt answered that question rather creatively, he didn’t say no; he merely set a condition vital to this ever taking place.

Speaking with E! News, the leading man of director Joseph Kosinski’s latest film got down to brass tacks. In a conversation that brought up those old Cruise/Pitt go-kart races during the production of Interview with the Vampire, Brad Pitt made this firm demand for a potential on-screen re-teaming:

Ok, so that feels like an automatic “no” on Tom Cruise’s mysterious space movie. And despite the high-octane thrills of F1, I don’t think Brad Pitt will be wanting to jump into production on Days of Thunder’s potential legacy-quel. And I can't say I blame him. His former co-star's penchant for airborne action is intense, and I get that not every actor wants to take part in that.

Jokes aside, it would be pretty amazing for Pitt to be cast in another film with his past vampire partner. But his request for staying “on the ground” doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen any time soon. Which sounds like part of why Tom Cruise wasn’t cast in F1; the other part being that if he was in Warner Bros’ upcoming thrill ride, he’d have probably tried to do all of the driving stunts.

However, Brad Pitt may not be set to enter the danger zone, or any kind of zone, with Tom Cruise just yet; he knows when a good reunion could be had.

As he and George Clooney’s potential Ocean’s 14 pitch seems to be exciting fans and stars alike as of late, we could see that team reassembled in no time. Though if Mr. Cruise ever wanted to spend some time away from stunts, the Ocean's franchise could always use some new players on either side of the moral coin.

Don’t be too sad, though, as action fans who want Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt to take on another project could pull an interesting double feature. As Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is still in theaters, you could easily book yourself for a showing of F1® The Movie before or after that very title. Of course, you’ll have to wait until June 27th to do that, as that’s when Mr. Pitt’s shot of adrenaline (that stays on the ground) will be heading to theaters.

Interview with the Vampire is a beloved novel, and has had a number of book to screen adaptations over the years. That includes the recent AMC TV series (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription), which is showing no signs of slowing down. And a producer of AMC's Anne Rice content recently threw shade at The Walking Dead when talking about the possibility of spinoffs.

TWD became a huge sensation upon its release, and there are still upcoming Walking Dead shows and movies coming down the line.... despite how long the flagship series has been off the air. Deadline recently spoke to network exec Mark Johnson, where he was asked if Interview with the Vampire or Mayfair Witches will have spinoff shows. He responded plainly, offering:

Shots fired. It sounds like Johnson has no intention of expanding the Anne Rice AMC shows in this manner. What's more, he doesn't seem thrilled with the concept of spinoffs as a whole, looking at them as more of a writing issue than a creative way to expand the narrative.

While fans want to see Mayfair and Interview with the Vampire crossover, it sounds like spinoffs are off of the table for the time being. Both of the shows are doing quite well, so it makes sense that the network might want to focus on quality instead of quantity. As such, we shouldn't expect any side characters to suddenly get their own show.

Interview with the Vampire was one of the best shows of 2022, and its second season really brought the twists and turns. What we know about Season 3 is limited, but it seems like the focus will go from Louie to Lestat, with the latter vampire being a rock star following a significant time jump. And really it feels like the possibilities are endless.

Walking Dead fans will know that the show exists solely through spinoffs nowadays. Rick and Michonne got their own show, as did Daryl Dixon. But the apocalyptic drama isn't nearly as popular anymore, a fate that Johnson is seemingly trying to avoid.

It's currently unclear when Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire will return for more seasons, and if it'll be during the 2025 TV premiere list. One thing is clear: spinoffs are not coming.

There’s been long-standing rumors on the internet that Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt either didn't get along or were totally whatever with one another during the filming of Interview with the Vampire way back in 1993 (for a '94 release). But during Paramount 2025’s panel (which CinemaBlend live blogged), Tom Cruise told a surprising-but-fun story about racing go karts together during the making of the iconic film.

It was while talking about McQuarrie’s ghost work on World War Z the subject of Brad Pitt even came up, with the M:I star referring to him as his “friend.” Like Cruise, Pitt has his own 2025 movie release coming, F1, and Cruise wanted to hype that. He’s always a champion of tentpole movies, but this one just so happens to be coming from his Top Gun: Maverick buddies Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Cruise said he’s championing the release, but also told a BTS story about their own time filming together.

We saw the first 10 minutes of F1 during Warner Bros.' panel earlier this week, and it did not disappoint. We saw Brad Pitt's character go from prepping for a race in a trailer to doing some big driving on a track. Making bold moves brought his team from behind during a 24 Hours Daytona race. It was exciting stuff, all set to the adrenaline-charged music of Led Zeppelin.

In reality, Brad Pitt can also drive in real life. Cruise made the startling admission while revealing why he was excited to see F1 this summer. While I would have guessed Kosinksi and Bruckheimer might be the reason, it turns out Tom Cruise thinks Pitt is a "hell of a driver," and he knows so because they used to race go karts together during the filming of Interview with the Vampire.

I'm loving this story. I've heard all kinds of stories about actors blowing off steam while filming, but I had never once known Tom Cruise has some firsthand knowledge of Brad Pitt's driving ability. It's even funnier considering this was their bonding activity in between Pitt playing the mopiest vampire of all time.

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt only ever started in the one movie together, but it's clear they at least spend some downtime together. And it's very generous of Cruise to even bring up the old movie given he was at one point involved in a prank over a sequel to the movie when George Clooney sent him a letter pretending to be Brad.

And now this picture of them go kart racing will live rent free in my head forever. What a great week for movies.

Now that Mayfair Witches has wrapped its second season, there’s more from the Anne Rice Universe to come across the 2025 TV schedule between the third season of Interview with the Vampire and The Talamasca. And if we’ve learned anything from the recent season of Mayfair Witches, it’s that the TV shows based on Rice's books absolutely can cross over. But how could that happen in the future? One of AMC’s very own Mayfair Witches shared an awesome idea after being an avid reader of the author.

When CinemaBlend spoke to Jen Richards, who, of course, plays Jojo Mayfair in the series, about the latest season of Mayfair Witches, she shared her thoughts on how the witches and vampires could collide more. In her words:

In Anne Rice’s 2000 novel, Merrick, characters from her Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches actually cross over! It follows Louis de Pointe du Lac, who Jacob Anderson plays in the series. He starts being haunted by the spirit of Claudia, a child who was turned into a vampire long ago by Lestat de Lioncourt – played by Sam Reid in the Interview With The Vampire series (which is one of the best vampire TV shows ever by the way).

Louis ends up asking for the help of a witch named Merrick Mayfair to use her powers to contact Claudia’s ghost. The book certainly has the presence of the Talamasca involved, as Merrick herself is a former agent with the group. As Richards shared in our interview, during the events of the book, Merrick is turned into a vampire later in the novel.

There are 13 books in the Vampire Chronicles, and it’s certainly interesting to hear from Jen Richards how Mayfair Witches could cross over further in with the Anne Rice universe due to some source material that already exists from the author. Richards would even love to adapt the novel herself. As she also said:

We’ll certainly have to see how AMC’s Anne Rice Universe continues to evolve as Interview With The Vampire and The Talamasca release later this year.

So far, the Mayfair Witches crossover with Interview With The Vampire was rather inconsequential to the overall plot and felt more like a way to bring in both shows, but as Jen Richards spoke to, there’s a lot of material here for the writers to work with.

Vampire stories have existed for over a century, with various mediums covering various icons of undead bloodsucking. Whether they’re funny, frightening, or somewhere attractively in between, vampire stories are too good to pass up. So if you’re looking to hang out with these creatures of the night, check out this list of the best vampire movies and TV shows! (Sorry Twilight fans, you didn’t make the cut.)

The Lost Boys (1987)

One of the best ‘80s movies ever, The Lost Boys introduced us to David (Kiefer Sutherland), the Peter Pan of vampires. Director Joel Schumacher’s horror-comedy kept vampires terrifying, while also adding the attractive allure that we’ve seen repeated throughout various incarnations. Not to mention, this has one of the best final punchlines a movie has ever landed.

True Blood (2008 - 2014)

Adapting Charlaine Harris’ novels revolving around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), True Blood is an HBO hit that fans still reflect upon. By the end of its seven-season run, the small town of Bon Temps encountered sultry romance, dark comedy, and terror at the hands of werewolves, fairies, and witches. But the bedrock of this series has always been the social commentary told in a world where vampires are widely acknowledged…and are naturally persecuted.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

For a performer as versatile as Tom Cruise happens to be, it’s still a disappointment that he was never given the chance to return to the role of Lestat de Lioncourt. Interview with the Vampire’s 1994 film adaptation saw Brad Pitt play the forlorn Louis de Pointe du Lac to Cruise’s chaotic sadist, and the contrast is amazing to watch in action. Also, Kirsten Dunst lands one hell of a breakout performance as Claudia, making this disturbing vampire family complete.

Fright Night (1985)

Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) was your typical ‘80s movie teenager…until Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) moved into the neighborhood. Director Tom Holland’s vampire classic shows us what happens when a dopey teen squares off with a seductive yet sinister supernatural force; and it doesn’t skimp on the blood or the comedy in the process.

What We Do In The Shadows (2019 - 2024)

Six seasons still doesn’t feel enough for FX’s What We Do in the Shadows adaptation. Expanding Taika Waititi’s 2014 mockumentary into an extended universe of lunacy, following Long Island’s found family of fang bearers (and Harvey Guillén’s Guillermo) became one of those rare cases where the TV version outdid the source film it was based on. From its humble origins, straight through to What We Do in the Shadows’ perfect series finale, the series was a consistently funny delight.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Much as 2024’s Nosferatu strived to be a more modern adaptation of F.W. Murnau’s classic mockbuster, 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula gave fans fresh blood when telling this time-worn classic. Gary Oldman plays the Francis Ford Coppola-directed spin on this character as both a tragic romantic and a vicious adversary.

Dark Shadows (1991)

Reinventing the classic ABC soap opera as a darker, moodier affair, the short-lived NBC revival of Dark Shadows tried to make a name for itself in 1991. As Ben Cross stepped into the iconic role of Barnabas Collins, it’s miles away from the 2012 Tim Burton adaptation, which turned the more gothically inclined story into a silly comedy. It probably didn't help that this dramatic reimagining was staked after a short first season.

Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)

Decades before Willem Dafoe would play for the human team in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, the Academy Award nominee actually dipped his fangs into the legendary off-brand remake of Dracula through Shadow of the Vampire. A dark comedy that shows us the “real story” behind F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) and his horror milestone, the plot alleges that Dafoe’s Max Schreck was an actual vampire/movie-making diva.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997 - 2003)

Joss Whedon’s horror/comedy cult classic found a second life as a seven-season TV series, with Sarah Michelle Gellar embodying a more grounded incarnation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The tone wasn’t the only improvement, as some of the best Buffy episodes experimented with form, and gave us impressive guest stars like John Ritter and a pre-fame Pedro Pascal. It was also one of the most effective heartbreakers, thanks to some deaths and romances that didn’t always involve the undead.

Nosferatu (2024)

Robert Eggers is a modern horror master that understands the classics. His 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu proved that fact yet again, thanks to a new spin on director F. W. Murneau’s bootleg classic. Despite Bill Skarsgard’s gross-out latex stories and Count Orlock looking quite imposing, his would-be romance with Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) is as haunting as it is intriguing.

The Strain (2014 - 2017)

Co-creators Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan created a horror literary hit with their trilogy of books telling the story of The Strain. So when it came time to adapt the series to TV, FX gave it a four-season epic that covered this apocalypse from its very beginning. Dishing out vampire lore, while giving us intriguing characters on both sides of the conflict, the tale even gave us one of Stephen King’s favorite TV monster hunters!

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

It sucks that the big twist of Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn kind of needs to be spoiled in instances like this. What begins as a crime thriller that sees the Gecko Brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) kidnapping a family as cover for their escape to Mexico turns into something much more deadly. I’m not going to say it’s vampires, but if you know this list, or even know this movie, you know what’s up.

Midnight Mass (2021)

Creator Mike Flanagan delivered an opus of horror and humanity in the Netflix limited series Midnight Mass. “Transformation” is the one word this story could be boiled down to, as the mysterious Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) arrives on Crockett Island just as some interesting occurrences start to take shape. You can expect to be frightened, but don’t be surprised if you end up crying here and there.

Let The Right One In (2008)

A methodically haunting film, Let The Right One In is a vampire movie on its surface. As bullied loner Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) starts to strike up a friendship with Eli (Lina Leandersson), their deepening connection leads to an unintended web of death. But the more you look under the surface of author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s screenplay adapting his own book, the more you’ll see the subtle mix between the disturbing and the melancholic.

Angel (1999 - 2004)

It’s rare that a spinoff can pack as much of a punch as its predecessor, but Angel managed to do just that. The David Boreanaz-led offshoot from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was cut short at the end of Season 5, despite co-star James Marsters noting Angel’s huge audience spike. So if you’re ready for a noir-tinged L.A. adventure that ends rather abruptly, look no further.

Van Helsing (2004)

What do you do when you’ve landed two successful Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser? Well, if you’re director Stephen Sommers, you try your hand at the rest of the Universal Monsters universe in one fell swoop with a movie like Van Helsing. With Hugh Jackman playing a variant of the titular legendary vampire hunter, there are all sorts of creatures that he has to contend with; leading to an adventure that’s just as blood-pumping and hysterical as The Mummy.

Castlevania (2017 - 2021)

Netflix’s adaptation of the Konami video game Castlevania didn’t have to go that hard. And yet, the religious overtones and painted blood both flowed as Dracula himself tried to start a reign of terror in Romania. A terrific video game adaptation, and a hell of a cartoon, the legacy continues in a follow-up series, Castlevania: Nocturne.

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023)

It took decades for The Last Voyage of the Demeter to finally become a reality. Focusing on the chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in which the vampiric menace makes his crossing to England, this ensemble horror show is a beautiful slow burn. Audiences may not have dug this one upon initial release, but director André Øvredal’s richly drawn nightmare is ripe to be discovered by audiences in the mood for something underrated.

The Munsters (1964 - 1966)

Yes, The Munsters technically counts as a vampire show. With Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) and Grandpa (Al Lewis) making up the fanged contingent of the family, their misadventures with the lovably dopey creature Herman (Fred Gwynne) made for a memorable TV sitcom. And to think, between the debuts of The Addams Family and Batman, network execs somehow thought there wasn’t room for this monstrous slice of life.

Blade II (2002)

People might see the first two Blade movies as interchangeable on a list like this. They’d be wrong, because while Wesley Snipes’ origin story in the Marvel Comics universe is impressive, Blade II really makes him sing. Director Guillermo del Toro not only got to sort of test out his vampires for The Strain through the designs of the Reapers, he also gave us scenes between Snipes and Ron Perlman that only make the action even more...exciting.

Being Human (2008 - 2013)

Can a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf truly live together? That might sound like the setup to a joke, but the BBC series Being Human did ask, and answer, that very question through five seasons. With the vampire part of the equation being filled by John Mitchell (Aidan Turner) and later Hal Yorke (Damien Molony), creator Toby Whitehouse’s show would eventually be remade in the US, with none of the casting switch-ups of its source material.

Abigail (2024)

Radio Silence’s abilities with comedy and horror are cranked up and given fangs in Abigail. As a bunch of amateur kidnappers wander into a job where they have to grab and babysit a 12-year-old girl (Alisha Weir), the tables soon turn as this older-than-she-looks menace hunts her would-be captors. If you’re looking for more Kevin Durand vampire action, fans of The Strain should give this flick a spin.

Rosario + Vampire (2008)

Vampires can be rather cute if you write them the right way. The two-season anime adaptation of the manga Rosario + Vampire is one such project, as it follows young man Tsukune Aono who accidentally finds himself going to a monsters-only boarding school. Luckily for him, vampire girl Moka Akashiya helps him survive, as she’s not only friendly, but she also has a crush on our hero.

Vampires Vs. The Bronx (2020)

There are two huge reasons vampire fans should watch the ever-charming horror-comedy Vampires vs. The Bronx. The first one is obviously because of the fact that using gentrification as a metaphor for a vampiric conquest is pretty sharp. But another fantastic note to make is that this is a modern flick that establishes Blade as a sacred vampire text. So if you like Wesley Snipes’ Daywalker, this Netflix original is an easy option.

Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire (2022 - )

There is a lot of queer subtext that the movie adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire couldn’t fully dig into in the mid-’90s. So when AMC got its hands on the rights to reinterpret the entire book series, the new Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat (Sam Reid) were able to really sink their teeth into everything fans already knew about these undead foils.

Fright Night (2011)

It’s always amazing when a remake can stand on its own two feet, honoring its source while also doing its own thing. 2011’s revamped version of Fright Night is a beautiful case in point, especially when focusing on the villainous vampire Jerry Dandridge. Played by Colin Farrell, Jerry’s romantic melancholy is replaced with dude bro sociopath energy aimed at Anton Yelchin's Charlie Brewster. Also, David Tennant’s Peter Vincent, heavily influenced by mid-aughts illusionist Criss Angel, is another deliciously R-rated note in this picture’s arsenal.

The Vampire Diaries (2009 - 2017)

If you mix in a little bit of Twilight with a touch of Supernatural and a heaping dose of Dracula, you’ve got the formula for The CW hit The Vampire Diaries. With two spin-offs and plenty of smoldering good looks from cast members like Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev, this is a pure example of what the network was known for in its heyday.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

Kids need to be introduced to vampires at some point, and the Hotel Transylvania series is probably the best way to get youngsters acquainted with creatures of the night. But suppose you really want to go for the comedic gold. In that case, it's recommended you watch Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, as it pits lonely widower Drac (Adam Sandler) against his would-be hunter/potential love interest Ericka (Kathryn Hahn)...the great-granddaughter of the Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan.)

American Horror Story: Hotel (2015 - 2016)

The fifth season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story mixed two things that people can’t get enough of: murder hotels, and the creatures that run them. Acting as a web of mayhem, intrigue, and bloodletting orchestrated by the alluring Countess (Lady Gaga), things get as twisted and steamy as you’d expect from FX’s long-running masterpiece of fright.

Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is a movie you should absolutely not take seriously. Unless you take your low-budget musical horror comedies gravely serious; in which case continue as planned. Director Lee Demarbre and writer Ian Driscoll leave it all on the field in a picture that’s so absurd, that no synopsis would do it justice. You’ll just have to trust your heart, and The Lord, and this one.

NOS4A2 (2019 - 2020)

Author Joe Hill’s NOS4A2 is a twisted gem that father Stephen King is probably very proud of. Sharing similar sensibilities to his master of horror dad, vampire Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) hunts young children to stay immortal, and uses a sickly sweet Christmas village to do just that. Of course, with a seemingly psychic woman on his trail (Ashleigh Cummings), the playing field is a bit more evened out in this two-season scrap.

Vamp (1986)

If you’re heading out for a little bit of nightlife, you should always keep in mind where you’re headed. The young men at the heart of 1986’s Vamp didn’t get that warning, which is what leads them to the nightclub that introduces them to the enigmatic Katrina (Grace Jones). A night of fatal misadventure follows, as this After Hours style horror-comedy doesn’t let our protagonists off easy.

Brad Pitt was certainly no stranger to Hollywood prior to 1994, but that year arguably propelled him to movie star status thanks to him starring in The Favor, Legend of the Fall and Interview with the Vampire. That latter movie in particular has remained a fan-favorite all these years later, with Pitt starring opposite Tom Cruise in this adaptation of Anne Rice’s same-named novel. However, Pitt admitted last year that he was “miserable” when he filmed Interview with the Vampire, and now director Neil Jordan has shared his take on why the actor “suffered” during this time.

A little over a year ago, Pitt described his experience working on Interview with the Vampire as “six months in the fucking dark” where he played “the bitch role,” i.e. the Louis to Cruise’s Lestat. This stemmed from Pitt’s expectations for the role differed from what was in the script that he got just two weeks prior to principal photography beginning. When Jordan was asked by Variety if he was aware of Pitt’s unhappiness at the time, the filmmaker responded:

So in addition to confirming that the night shoots on Interview with the Vampire, one of the best vampire movies, were rough, Neil Jordan also theorized that what was required of Brad Pitt to properly bring Louis de Pointe du Lac to life. After all, the character is turned into a vampire by Letstat sooner after losing his wife and unborn daughter in 1791, and after regretting this decision over his unwillingness to harm innocent, he suffered further heartbreak when Kirsten Dunst’s Claudia, whom he treated as his daughter, was burned to ash. It’s no wonder Pitt felt down during the course of production, although when interviewer Todd Gilchrist asked Jordan if he tried to “create an atmosphere on set that would alleviate the heaviness” of what the actor might have been going through, the director said:

Brad Pitt may have had a bad experience making Interview with the Vampire and was disappointed that it ended up being more of a “Tom Cruise vehicle,” as he once described it, but the final product proved to be a critical and commercial success. The following year, Pitt starred in Seven and 12 Monkeys, and at that point he was firmly cemented as one of Hollywood’s most high-profile actors. Interview with the Vampire is now 30 years old, and while Pitt might not be eager to give it a watch, you won’t find any shortage of people who still like viewing it these days.

Although the Interview with the Vampire movie isn’t available for streaming at the time of this writing, the Interview with the Vampire TV series airs on AMC, with the entirety of the show being streamable on AMC+ and the first season being accessible with a Netflix subscription. That program will return for its third season at a yet-to-be-announced date.

Tom Cruise has his running, Samuel L. Jackson has his cussing, and Brad Pitt has his eating. Over the years, the Fight Club actor has been seen eating on screen more than anyone else who’s ever stepped in front of a camera, even professional eaters. If you look at Pitt’s best movies like Seven, the Ocean’s trilogy, and even great Quentin Tarantino films, you’ll watch his characters eat everything from popcorn to burgers and shrimp cocktails to chips (so many chips). 

Let’s look at 32 times Brad Pitt ate food in movies and try not to get hungry in the process.

Look At The Shrimp Cocktail In Ocean's Eleven

Rusty Ryan, Brad Pitt’s iconic character from the Ocean movies, snacks on random foods like someone trying to kick a smoking habit whenever on screen, including Ocean’s Eleven, where he can be spotted going to town on a shrimp cocktail in a casino. With his bottomless stomach, it’s no surprise that he needed to pull off a big score.

Eating A Twinkie In Moneyball

Moneyball has some of the most incredible moments from baseball movies, but it also has a handful of great “Brad Pitt eating food” scenes like when Billy Beane takes down a Twinkie in like two bites while discussing advanced analytics with Jonah Hill’s character. Was that even scripted?

Cooking Mac And Cheese In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

There have been some great cooking scenes in movies over the years, ranging from Michelin-level delicacies to more practical fare. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood falls into the latter category thanks to a scene where Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth makes himself a box of mac and cheese in his trailer. Sure, there’s no milk or butter, but you have to admire the simplicity and execution of the bachelor meal.

Digging Into A Greasy Bag Of Tortilla Chips In Johnny Suede

Johnny Suede, one of Brad Pitt’s earliest films, sees the actor eat multiple meals before everything is said and done. But the best? Well, that goes to the scene where the aspiring rock n' roll star is digging through probably the greasiest bag of chips in cinematic history. But hey, we’ve all been there before.

Eating Sandwiches And Killing Nazis In Inglourious Basterds

Though Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) says his team of eight Jewish-American soldiers has one mission in Inglourious Basterds: kill Nazis, you could add “eating sandwiches while killing Nazis” if you want to be more accurate. We’re not sure what he’s eating, but that sandwich does look mighty good.

The Diner Scene In Mr. & Mrs. Smith

One of the best scenes in Mr. and Mrs. Smith is the one where John Smith (Brad Pitt) and Eddie (Vince Vaughn) are chatting in a diner. What makes it so great, you ask? Well, Pitt’s character spends the duration of the chat taking down a pancake like it’s nobody’s business.

Trying Caviar In The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button sees Brad Pitt’s titular character experiencing all life has to offer, including trying some unique and expensive foods along the way. At the top of that list is the caviar a young (or old, depending on how you look at it) Benjamin enjoys with Tilda Swinton’s Elizabeth Abbott.

Detective Mills Waiting... And Eating Chips In Seven

David Mills (Brad Pitt) doesn’t like what he finds in the box during the infamous Seven ending, but the young detective does enjoy getting to the bottom of a bag of Lay’s potato chips while killing time in a library earlier in the movie.

Rusty Eating Chips In Ocean's Twelve

Ocean’s Twelve has just as many Rusty-eating scenes as its predecessor, including the time Brad Pitt’s iconic character is eating chips (one of his favorites, at this point) while on the phone. We’re still trying to figure out how Rusty ranks his passions – does he like snacking or robbing more?

Sharing A Sandwich With A Dog in The Mexican

The Mexican is one of those Brad Pitt movies that seemed like a massive deal before it came out and then was quickly forgotten, which is a shame because it has one of the actor’s funniest food scenes. Where else are you going to see Pitt share a sandwich with a dog in the middle of nowhere?

Sipping A Smoothie In Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading’s Chad Feldheimer, arguably one of the greatest Coen Brothers characters, really gave Brad Pitt the chance to play a dim-witted and hilarious character back in 2008, and he ran with it. Not only that, Pitt also got in another food scene, this time featuring Chad sipping a smoothie while on a stakeout.

Chowing On Some Dog Food In Seven Years In Tibet

The contents are still questionable after all this time, but Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) goes to town on a bowl of dog food (or scraps or slop or some mystery meat) when he’s on his epic journey of self-discovery. Where else are you going to see Pitt down on all-fours competing with fido over a meal?

Rusty Eating Potstickers In Ocean's Thirteen

We pretty much see Rusty take down food from every corner of the planet by the time Ocean’s Thirteen wraps up, including one scene where Brad Pitt’s character pulls off a walk-and-talk with a cell phone in one hand and a pair of chopsticks holding a potsticker in the other.

Chowing On Chinese Food in Kalifornia

For those who haven’t seen it, Kalifornia is a wild 1993 psychological thriller in which Brad Pitt plays the demented and oddly charismatic serial killer Early Grayce. While traveling with journalist Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) on a tour of infamous killing sites, Grayce makes life a living hell for everyone, especially during the scene where he’s chowing down on some Chinese food with table manners so bad they should be a crime.

A Feast in Legends Of The Fall

There’s some good food all through Legends of the Fall, but the one that catches our eye (and nose) the most is the ham feast at the Ludlow house. Though not overly extravagant or anything like that, the dinner is a site for sore eyes, and we get to see Brad Pitt’s Tristan Ludlow eat yet another meal.

Licking Peanut Butter From A Spoon In Meet Joe Black

Though the movie is about 45 minutes to an hour too long, Meet Joe Black does give fans of Brad Pitt eating scenes something to celebrate. The funniest has to be when Joe Black, aka the angel of death, is introduced to the deliciousness of peanut butter on a spoon. 

Eating Fried Eggs In Fury

The vast majority of Fury is spent in a cramped tank on its last leg, but the crew does get to step out of the death trap from time to time, including the scene where Brad Pitt’s Don Collier and company sit down for some ham and eggs. It’s a tense scene, but the look on “Wardaddy’s” face as he’s taking down his first proper meal in ages is pure magic.

Eating And Scolding His Children In The Tree Of Life

Brad Pitt’s Mr. O’Brien from The Tree of Life is probably one of the actor’s meanest characters, and he never passes up an opportunity to scold his children, even during dinner. If you thought a dinner scene directed by Terrence Malick would be conventional or at least happy, this sequence proves otherwise.

Chomping On Chips (Off-Screen) In Fight Club

Okay, Tyler Durden isn’t actually on screen during the scene where Edward Norton’s nameless character calls him after his apartment is destroyed in an explosion, we can hear Brad Pitt chomping down on chips. What kind of chips? We don’t know, but considering the actor’s history, they were either Lay’s or some kind of tortilla chips.

Eating Hot Dogs In A Car Lot In Cutting Class

One of Brad Pitt’s earliest films (his third credited role), Cutting Class saw what is perhaps the first example of one of his characters on screen. At one point in the movie, Dwight Ingalls (Pitt) manages to hold a conversation while eating a hot dog, which is no easy feat.

Achilles Eating A Turkey Leg In Troy

Some people really like Troy, but we don’t think it’s because it sees Brad Pitt eating a turkey leg as Achilles, one of the most iconic figures in Greek mythology. If you want a decent enough historical drama with some killer battle sequences (and food scenes), maybe it’s time to revisit this 2004 epic.

Popping Wasabi Peas In Bullet Train

Bullet Train is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride from start to finish, but that doesn’t mean Ladybug (Brad Pitt) isn’t going to work in a snack or two before it’s over. The accident-prone yet comically lethal assassin is seen popping wasabi peas during one reprieve from the mayhem in this 2022 action comedy.

Eating A Rat In Interview With The Vampire

Okay, this isn’t food in the traditional sense, but there is an unforgettable scene in Interview with the Vampire in which Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) feasts on a rat for nourishment. Disgusting? Yes. But a vampire has to do what a vampire has to do, right?

Taking Down Some Bread In The Devil's Own

Stale bread has never looked as good as it did for Francis "Frankie" McGuire (Brad Pitt) in The Devil’s Own. After being pulled out from under a floor while in hiding, the IRA soldier goes to town on a loaf of bread like it’s the finest cut of beef money can buy.

Beef Stew In The Woods In The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Though not the best scene in the movie (that would go the train robbery sequence), there’s a key moment in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford where Brad Pitt’s outlaw eats a bowl of beef stew in the woods. A hot bowl of stew has never looked so good.

The Spy Game Lunch Scene

Everyone loves a good lunch scene in a spy thriller, right? Well, we get one in Tony Scott’s 2001 action flick, Spy Game, in which Nathan D. Muir (Robert Redford) and Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) talk shop over a meal. While the older CIA officer is going over some tech, the younger Bishop just sits there and eats and eats and eats.

A Coconut In The Lost City

Jack Trainer in The Lost City is one of the silliest yet coolest Brad Pitt characters in recent history. And while the former Navy SEAL and CIA operative is only in the movie for a hot minute, Pitt, to the surprise of no one, has an eating scene when he’s seen with a coconut early on. 

Hot Dog On A Bench In Sleepers

Even movies that are as dark and unnerving as Sleepers have featured Brad Pitt eating scenes over the years. When having a conversation on a bench with Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra (Jason Patric) while they’re planning their scheme to keep their old buddies out of prison, Michael Sullivan (Pitt) is eating a hot dog. 

Allied's Shrimp Salad

If you’ve ever wanted to see a movie where a Canadian Intelligence officer posing as one half of a happily married couple on a secret mission during WWII is seen eating a shrimp salad, Allied is for you. Though not the best Robert Zemeckis movie, this 2016 romantic war thriller does see Brad Pitt chow down on the seafood delicacy.

A Cheeseburger In Ocean's Eleven

Ocean’s Eleven sees Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) take down all kinds of food before the credits roll, and Brad Pitt’s character gets to sneak in one final snack at the end when he’s seen eating a cheeseburger while waiting for Danny Ocean (George Clooney) to get out of prison.

Popcorn Out Of A Coffee Filter In Moneyball

Considering Moneyball is all about the cash-strapped Oakland A’s trying to remain competitive with a near-microscopic payroll, it only makes sense for Billy Beane to find other ways to cut costs throughout the organization. And who cares if this means the A’s general manager has to eat popcorn from a coffee filter instead of a bowl?

Some Stir Fry In Ocean's Thirteen

Rusty Ryan finished off the Ocean’s trilogy by taking down some exotic foods in 2007’s Ocean’s Thirteen, including some stir fry (which looks really good, by the way), while planning the film’s big heist. Hey, he can’t think on an empty stomach.

George Clooney is a known practical joker. The actor is almost as famous for some of his antics as he is for his films. His friends like Brad Pitt and Matt Damon have spoken often about some of the pranks that Clooney has pulled, but the actor recently told a story about pranking Tom Cruise that has to be one of the best we’ve heard.

Clooney has frequently used letters as the method for his pranks. It's been mentioned before that Clooney would write letters to people with Bill Clinton's stationery, but now we know exactly how he got it as well as stationery from other celebs he has used for pranks.

How George Clooney Ended Up With Brad Pitt Stationary

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live to discuss Wolfs, his new movie with Brad Pitt, Clooney revealed that, it is thanks to Kimmel that he has stationary that came from the desk of former President Bill Clinton as well as other famous names. Kimmel explained the gift he gave to Clooney, saying…

The stationery was given by Kimmel because he knew Clooney would enjoy pranking his friends. And he has done so in spades. Clooney says every actor he knows has received a letter from Bill Clinton at one time or another, but it was the Brad Pitt stationary that led to a hilarious moment with Tom Cruise.

How George Clooney Pranked Tom Cruise Over A Fake Interview With The Vampire Sequel

While sending people letters as Bill Clinton sounds hilarious, it was the Brad Pitt stationary that led to a great story, as it ultimately resulted in both Pitt and Tom Cruise finding themselves wondering what was going on. Clooney sent a letter as Pitt to Cruise regarding a fictitious sequel to a movie they had made together, but with a strange twist. Clooney revealed…

An Interview with the Vampire sequel is just the sort of movie we would expect some studio to want to make, there were even rumors that such a thing might happen. Of course, one would think they’d really want Tom Cruise involved. Casting Pitt as the character previously played by Cruise sounds so wild that I feel like somebody should have been suspicious from the start. But then, if it’s written on Brad Pitt’s personal stationary, why would you question it?

This same topic came up in a conversation between Kimmel and Brad Pitt recently and it turns out Cruise called Brad Pitt directly in response to the letter, which, of course, led to a great deal of confusion. Kimmel said…

At this point, I imagine Brad Pitt shaking his fist at the sky and shouting “Clooney!” It sounds like when moments like this arise there is never much question just who is responsible. To be fair, Brad Pitt has pulled pranks on Clooney too, so I guess all is fair.

Whenever we talk about iconic movie couples, we tend to focus on the happy-go-lucky pairings where everything either ends well or they learn something before the credits roll. But not today. Instead, let’s look back at 32 movies with horrible toxic relationships where couples were doing more harm than good – to themselves and each other. Don’t worry, we’ll still be talking about some of the best romantic comedies of all time, but we’ll also dive into some messed-up relationships at the core of a few great psychological thrillers with unhappy endings, as well.

Gone Girl (Amy And Nick Dunne)

On top of featuring one of the best female villains in film history, David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl has hands down one of the most toxic relationships of all time. Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick Dunne’s (Ben Affleck) horrible marriage, which leads to one party cheating and the other faking their own kidnapping to frame their “better” half, is one for the ages.

Fatal Attraction (Dan Gallagher And Alex Forrest)

When a relationship starts as an affair and leads to a boiling bunny and a vengeful wife getting all cold-blooded with a gun, you know it’s toxic. That’s the case for Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) and Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) in the ‘80s erotic thriller, Fatal Attraction.

Revolutionary Road (Frank And April Wheeler)

If you went into Revolutionary Road thinking that the characters played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet would be as lovey-dovey as the actors were in Titanic, you’ve got another thing coming. Sam Mendes’ take on Richard Yates’ 1961 novel is BRUTAL and centers on two people whose hatred for one another is something to behold.

Inception (Cobb And Mal)

Look beyond all the mind-bending visuals, intense action sequences, and myriad theories, and you’ll find a horrible toxic relationship at the core of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Not even death could bring an end to the misery that was Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mal’s (Marion Cotillard) tortured marriage.

Sid And Nancy (Sid Vicious And Nancy Spungen)

Chronicling one of the most infamous failed relationships in rock-n-roll history, Sid and Nancy is a tour de force of toxic energy. Centering on the final months and days in the relationship (and lives) of Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) and Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb), Alex Cox’s 1986 biopic is a lesson in what happens when a destructive relationship comes crashing down.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Clementine And Joel)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is without a doubt one of the best movies of the 2000s, but man, it’s one depressing trip. The story about a former couple (played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) who go to extreme lengths to get over a failed relationship will certainly knock you down a peg and leave you never wanting to love ever again.

A Star Is Born (Jackson And Ally Maine)

Every version of A Star is Born has a really messed up relationship at its core, and Bradley Cooper’s 2018 reimagining is one of the most tragic. As soon as Jackson Maine (Cooper) meets Ally (Lady Gaga) in a drag bar, you know how this one is gonna end. Spoiler, it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s tragic in multiple ways.

Blue Valentine (Dean And Cindy)

Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine is one of those great movies you can only watch once because it’s so messed up. Sure, it’s not as extreme as others, but the story of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy Pereira's (Michelle Williams) relationship over multiple years is grueling, upsetting, and absolutely heartbreaking.

Badlands (Kit And Holly)

Inspired by the story of Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate, Badlands is one of those crime movies everyone needs to watch at least once. But be warned, as Martin Sheen’s Kit is a homicidal madman who takes advantage of his young girlfriend Holly (Sissy Spacek) and takes her on a life of crime and killings in America’s badlands.

You've Got Mail (Kathleen Kelly And Joe Fox)

Sure, You’ve Got Mail has one of the best enemies-to-lovers stories of all time, but let’s be real for a second. Tom Hanks’ Joe Fox is a manipulative jerk who toys with Kathleen Kelly’s emotions, puts her bookstore out of business, and orchestrates a scenario where they end up together at the end.

The Graduate (Benjamin Braddock And Mrs. Robinson)

A relationship built on lust instead of love isn’t necessarily a recipe for disaster, but it’s not really a winner either. That’s the case for Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) and Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) in The Graduate. Sure, it led to an all-time great song, but this toxic and unhealthy relationship is horrible and quite damaging.

Nocturnal Animals (Edward Sheffield And Susa Morrow)

What if you hurt your spouse to such an extent that they later wrote a book in which a character based on you was viciously attacked and murdered in the West Texas desert? Well, that’s what happens in Nocturnal Animals when Jake Gyllenhaal’s Edward Sheffield plays some serious head games with his ex-wife, Susan Morrow (Amy Adams).

Gaslight (Gregory And Paula)

When a movie has a title like Gaslight, you know it’s going to have a remarkably toxic relationship at its core. This 1944 classic, which focuses on the deterioration of Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) and Gregory Anton’s (Charles Boyer) marriage after the husband plays some messed up games with his new wife, is wild, to say the least.

Requiem For A Dream (Harry And Marion)

Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) and Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly) are so preoccupied with chasing the next thrill and high in their messed up lives that they fail to see the damage of their detrimental relationship in Requiem for a Dream. This is one of Darren Aronofsky's best movies but also perhaps his most unsettling, thanks in part to these two.

Natural Born Killers (Mickey And Mallory Knox)

Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) love each other in Natural Born Killers, there’s no doubt about it. But this messed up couple shows their love and admiration for one another by killing dozens of people in increasingly violent ways as they embark upon a blood-soaked honeymoon.

Renfield (R.M. Renfield And Dracula)

While there’s no romance shared by R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) and Dracula (Nicholas Cage) in Renfield, let’s not act like this isn’t the most toxic relationship we’ve seen in a horror movie in recent years. Dracula, who takes and takes from his servant, creates a monster, one that ends up pulling off a lot of heads and bringing chaos to the Big Easy in this blood-soaked comedy.

Kramer Vs. Kramer (Ted And Joanna Kramer)

If you were to watch the Kramer vs. Kramer trailer, you’d probably think this 1979 romantic drama would be a fun and enjoyable watch. Think again! Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep’s on-screen relationship is damaging, so toxic, and so horrible, you’re lucky if you don’t need therapy after coming out the other side.

Midsommar (Dani And Christian)

Ari Aster’s Midsommar is one of the most unsettling horror movies of all time, as well as a drama with one incredibly toxic and horrible relationship. Of course, we’re talking about Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) whose bond goes from distant to destructive over the course of the movie. Never at any point does it seem like these two get along or care for one another, especially at the end.

Passengers (Aurora Lane And Jim Preston)

The Passengers trailer made it seem as if the 2016 sci-fi drama would be about an unlikely relationship that blossoms in deep space. While that is sort of true, don’t forget that Aurora Jane (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jim Preson’s (Chris Pratt) relationship is built upon a lie, a really, really messed up lie that is unforgivable.

An Education (Jenny Mellor And David Goldman)

Lone Scherfig’s An Education spends most of its 100-minute runtime showing a seemingly normal and healthy relationship shared by Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) and the much older David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard). But later on we find out that things aren’t as they seem and one of the involved parties has a destructive, heart-breaking secret.

Beauty And The Beast (Belle And Beast)

A tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast is regarded as one of the best Disney animated movies, but the relationship between Belle and Beast is pretty horrible. While it is noble of Beast to set Belle’s dad free, he essentially holds the young woman hostage in his desolate castle in exchange. Stockholm Syndrome, anyone?

Leaving Las Vegas (Ben And Sera)

Leaving Las Vegas is one of the best Nicolas Cage movies, but it’s also one of the actor’s films where he plays one part of a pretty messed up relationship. While it is true that Ben (Cage) and Sera (Elisabeth Shue) love one another, their lifestyles and personalities also have some pretty detrimental effects on each other and themselves.

Closer (Alice, Larry, Anna, And Dan)

Keeping track of all the couples and their histories in Closer should be an Olympic sport. Mike Nichols’ 2004 romantic drama follows the intertwined relationships shared by Alice (Natalie Portman), Larry (Clive Owen), Anna (Julia Roberts), and Dan (Jude Law), as they play out over several years; years filled with broken hearts, trauma, and toxicity. Great movie, but a serious downer.

The Godfather (Michael And Kay)

Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is probably one of the most famous mobsters in the history of cinema, but he’s also a pretty rotten guy. Throughout The Godfather (and its sequels), his relationship with Kay Adams (Diane Keaton) has more downs than ups, ever-changing rules, and a lack of trust. The final scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 epic says it all.

Interview With The Vampire (Lestat De Lioncourt And Louis De Pointe Du Lac)

The way Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise) takes Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) out of a life of luxury and makes him into an immortal prisoner in Interview with the Vampire is as horrible as it is tragic. These two, though dependent upon one another, hate each other, which doesn’t translate to a happy ending.

Raging Bull (Jake And Vickie LaMotta)

Are there any nice or wholesome characters in Raging Bull? No, not really. But Jake (Robert De Niro) and Vickie LaMotta (Cathy Moriarty) take the cake in terms of characters in a horrible and toxic relationship. The fighting, the head games, and the cussing are all signs of an unhealthy and dangerous marriage.

Death Becomes Her (Madeline Ashton, Helen Sharp, And Ernest Menville)

One of the funniest movies of the early ‘90s, Death Becomes Her is full of some all-time great cinematic characters like Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep), Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), and Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis). However, all three are intertwined in a messed-up love triangle full of pettiness, bitterness, death, and a miracle tonic that extends things way too much.

Forrest Gump (Forrest And Jenny)

Does Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) love Jenny (Robin Wright) in Forrest Gump? Yeah, we’re certain of that. But does Jenny love Forrest with all her heart? Well, the jury is still out. Throughout this movie, Jenny toys with her childhood friend’s emotions in multiple ways over multiple decades, and is pretty much the movie’s villain at times.

Marriage Story (Charlie And Nicole Barber)

Marriage Story is a brilliant movie that everyone needs to watch at least once. But, boy, Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson) are one horrible and toxic couple. These two, with their jealousies, resentment, and suppressed anger are a time bomb and it’s probably for the best they go their separate ways.

Phantom Thread (Reynolds Woodcock And Alma Elson)

When you have to poison your lover so that he won’t let you leave, you know something’s not right. And that’s the case for Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) and Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread. Over the course of two-plus hours, this odd and deadly relationship plays out in a way that is particularly toxic.

Nightcrawler (Lou Bloom And Nina Romina)

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Nina Romina (Rene Russo) in Nightcrawler are probably one of the most disturbing relationships in 21st-century cinema. Lou is using Nina who is taking advantage of the young stringer in a variety of ways. They’re both awful, self-serving people who deserve everything that comes their way.

500 Days Of Summer (Tom And Summer)

You have to feel bad for Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in 500 Days of Summer, but you don’t necessarily have to blame Summer (Zooey Deschanel) for the deterioration of their relationship, either, Both want different things and have different aspirations. All of that would be fine if they didn’t have detrimental impacts on each other, and their doomed relationship.

As you can see, cinema history is filled with toxic relationships, even in films that turn out to be some of our most beloved romantic comedies.

If you’re anything like me, you still suffer from a post-Olympics funk. For two weeks there was no question what to watch on streaming. It was wall-to-wall swimming races, and amazing gymnastics, with some handball, equestrian, and sport climbing thrown in for good measure. And now what are we supposed to watch? Luckily, plenty of new series and movies are upcoming on Netflix and there's lots new on Disney+ and the rest of the best streaming services. But perhaps surprisingly the best stuff to watch this week is on Peacock, with both the best classic series and hopefully the best new movie.

Homicide: Life on the Street is one of the most critically acclaimed TV series of the last three decades, and yet, the show has never been available on any streaming platform. That changes this week when the show finally makes its debut. In addition to that, we have several new and classic movies and series that are arriving on various streaming platforms.

 Homicide: Life on the Street - August 19 (Peacock) 

Homicide: Life on the Street debuted in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, plus a TV movie. After years of Homicide not being available streaming, all of it will arrive for everybody with a Peacock subscription this week. The series struggled in the ratings through its entire run despite it being lauded by critics at the time, so there’s a decent chance you’ve never actually seen it. Now is the time to fix that.

If nothing else Homicide is a show with an incredible legacy, it introduced Andre Braughter to many audiences, and it created the character of Detective John Munch, played by the late Richard Belzer, who would outlive the series by bringing the character to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Interview with The Vampire, And More AMC Series -  August 19 (Netflix) 

One of the problems caused by the popularity of streaming is that every studio wants its own cut of business. This has led a significant partitioning of content, leading all of us to likely be subscribing to multiple streaming services in order to get to watch all the shows and movies we care about.

In recent months however, we’ve seen a relaxing of that several WB movies have appeared on Netflix while still existing on Max, and if you’re a fan of numerous AMC series, including older shows like Preacher or current hits like Interview with the Vampire, you no longer need to subscribe to AMC+ to watch them.

A dozen AMC series, totaling nearly 30 seasons worth of entertainment all drop on Netflix on August 19. For Walking Dead fans, who have already watched that entire series, the full runs of Fear the Walking Dead, and the first season of The Walking Dead: Darryl Dixon are among the shows making the leap.

That '90s Show - August 22 (Netflix) 

Netflix’s That '90s Show is a double dose of nostalgia. If you’re nostalgic for That 70s Show, the series brings many of the main characters from the original series back in a new way that fans seem to be enjoying. If your nostalgia is for the era in which you originally watched That '70s Show then the series has you covered just as well.

The third batch of new episodes for That '90s Show drops this week. And it includes guest appearances by 90s icons Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, so it should be fun.

Incoming - August 23 (Netflix)

Once upon a time, there was a mythical period called the 1980s when R-rated comedies about kids too young to see R-rated movies were fairly common and usually hilarious. Since that time, the frequency of these films has greatly diminished, but every once in a while we still get them, and they’re still frequently funny.

Incoming follows a group of new high school freshmen who get invited to their first high school party, and the wild shenanigans that they get up to while there. If hearing f-bombs frequently is not your thing, this probably isn’t your movie, but if you think that’s hilarious, we could have a great late-summer comedy here.

City Of God: The Fight Rages On - August 25 (Max)

Earlier this year Cinemablend ranked the 100 best movies of the 2000s, and the film that came out on top was City of God. Of course, we are going to be excited then by the prospect of a sequel series.

The series is set two decades after the events of the film and will see Rocket, the main character of the film, return to his former home as a professional photojournalist as a young drug dealer is released from prison, throwing the people back into the same cycle they had been in once before.

10 Cloverfield Lane - August 24 (Prime Video)

With August coming to a close, it’s going to be the spooky season before we know it. If you can’t wait for October to get here, then take advantage of the fact that a top-notch thriller, and the best movie in the still-growing Cloverfield franchise, will be available this week with your Prime Video subscription.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as a woman who gets in a car accident and wakes up to find she’s been “rescued” and locked in a bunker after some sort of apocalyptic event has taken place outside. Just which is the scarier place to be becomes a significant question.

The Killer - August 23 (Peacock)

Ask anybody who claims to be an aficionado of action movies and eventually, they will tell you how great John Woo’s The Killer is. The 1989 Hong Kong action film starring Chow Yung-fat is the movie that got both men noticed in Hollywood. It’s hard to imagine that anybody would ever consider trying to remake it.

The Killer gets an American remake with a gender-swapped protagonist this week on Peacock. Under normal circumstances, a certain segment of people might roll their eyes at such a thing, but this remake is being produced and directed by John Woo himself, so if it is at all possible to capture that lightning in a bottle twice, certainly Woo is the man who can do it.

This is just a small sampling of what’s coming to the various streaming platforms this week. Next week will see September begin, which means that a lot of streaming content will be shuffling around. Many series and films will leave

What’s harder to land than a hit movie? Try a hit series of movies. This list of titles is full of movies that, through one reason or another, we’re shocked haven’t become bigger franchises in the Hollywood landscape.

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

Director Peter Weir’s seafaring epic starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany has become a fan favorite over time but somehow didn’t catch fire upon initial release. A Master and Commander reboot is in the works, but missing out on more of this pair is still a tragedy. 

Battlestar Galactica

How in the Frak did Caprica not catch on with people? We could have had even more answers into Ronald D. Moore’s reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, and yet people didn’t seem ready for it. Even with the defunct Peacock reboot and an attempted movie adaptation proposed in the past, this sci-fi landmark can’t seem to catch a break, which makes you wonder just what went wrong.

John Carter

The world failed John Carter, but somehow dug straight into Avatar without a question. Holding the record for the longest period of book-to-film adaptation, the legendary Edgar Rice Burroughs’ space opera of Mars finally found itself adapted into a 2012 cult favorite, but failed to turn into a franchise for director Andrew Stanton to call his own. 

Dredd

It’s a shame that Dredd’s story of going from a beleaguered production to a fan favorite never paid off with sequels or spin-off series capitalizing on Karl Urban’s time in the role. Even with streaming success boosting the picture’s profile, there’s still no sign of anyone following this 2000 A.D. comic’s second cinematic adaptation with another turn at bat. 

Mortal Engines

With the YA adaptation market being what it is, it’s rather surprising that Mortal Engines couldn’t capture the same readers and viewers who made The Hunger Games an enduring success. Even having the pedigree of producer Peter Jackson flexing his post-Lord of the Rings muscles wasn’t enough to lift this inventive dystopian tale into the consciousness. 

Akira

There have been several efforts to create a live-action adaptation of author Katsuhiro Otomo’s iconic manga Akira, stretching back for almost as long as the 1988 anime film brought the books to the world’s attention. With major directors like Stephen Norrington, Albert Hughes, and Taika Waititi being drafted over the decades to try and make it so, the reasons for its failure are just as frustrating as not seeing a more accurate portrayal of the manga’s extensive story. 

The Nice Guys

You’d think someone would slip writer/director Shane Black a Christmas present by putting The Nice Guys back on the board as a potential franchise. Alas, not even Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe’s comedic chemistry has made it easy to revisit this fan favorite. Plus, a potential female-led TV reboot has also gone MIA, depriving us all of more clever mysteries punctuated by witty, R-rated punchlines.

Warcraft

Much like Pacific Rim, Legendary co-production Warcraft was a long-legged box office success with modest enough results to keep people asking for a sequel. While one could understand why it never happened, it’s baffling that a reboot or even an adaptation of other Blizzard franchises like Starcraft weren’t attempted to try and get people revved up all over again. 

Sahara

Even Matthew McConaughey understood that Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels could have been something truly cinematic. With follow-ups intended to continue past Sahara’s 2006 theatrical release, that was indeed a possibility. But even with that film failing to catch fire, how has someone not tried to get this potential American James Bond competitor back on the market? 

Alita: Battle Angel

With solid box office at its back, a vocal fanbase still pulling for a sequel, and the likes of James Cameron producing, Alita: Battle Angel was always born to be a franchise. Sadly, despite Cameron seeming to confirm an Alita sequel in development, nothing has been set in stone. 

Eragon

YA and Fantasy are two realms that always seem to be fresh for mining in show business. Author Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, kicked off by the novel Eragon, is one such property that touches both of those bases; seemingly destined for future greatness. At least, that seemed to be the case before the 2006 movie adaptation was released, much to the chagrin of fans of the text. 

Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

The Fast Saga has never been quiet about its aspirations to become a huge and healthy franchise. That’s practically why Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw was greenlit in the first place. But somehow the Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham spin-off hasn’t been given much priority, even with its main-line franchise due to say its last farewell at some point. 

Tron

While a Tron threequel is in motion, and with a clear finish line in sight, the failure to see this saga entrench itself further in pop culture is a crying shame. Considering how well Tron: Legacy did at the box office, and how Tron: Uprising’s ambitious storyline still remains unfinished, we should have returned to the grid a long time ago. 

Bridesmaids

Admittedly, director Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids wasn’t built for a sequel. That hasn’t stopped lightning-hot comedies in the past, and considering this movie was a lightning bolt hit akin to The Hangover films, one wouldn’t be mistaken in thinking that we missed out by not spending more time with Kristen Wiig and the rest of the insanely stacked ensemble from this laugh riot. 

Interview With The Vampire

Writer Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles novels eventually saw justice done by them with the start of the AMC series adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Tom Cruise’s shock at the lack of a sequel proves that he would have been up for more madness as Lestat, and knowing that someone prevented this from happening in the decision-making process really bites. 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Considering Ferris Bueller’s Day Off actually landed a TV series that went beyond its source material, you’d think that the John Hughes/Matthew Broderick hit could have secured at least one more movie in its canon. Alas, the closest we’ve ever gotten to such a prospect is a Paramount+ spin-off film, and the Honda Super Bowl ad that returned Broderick to the role in 2012. 

Fear Street

Saved from the clutches of non-existence, Netflix snagged director Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy after the Fox/Disney merger, making the films a streaming hit. And yet, only one follow-up seems to be on the books at the time, even in a world where author R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps saga has turned into a streaming TV hit. 

The Baby-Sitter’s Club

Whether you’re thinking of the 1995 film adaptation or either of the TV projects that author Ann M. Martin’s iconic book series spawned, the fact that The Baby-Sitter’s Club never caught on is something that’s perplexing. With the popularity of the long-running series’ literary incarnation as its foundation, there’s still a potential for someone to figure out how to keep Dawn, Mallory, and the rest of the girls telling their stories for generations to come.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is more than likely the movie that’s helped actor Henry Cavill continue to associate his name as adjacent to the James Bond franchise. This light-hearted and funny action crusher could have been a competition to 007 himself, and still could be if the right studio executives set their minds to making it happen.

The Last Starfighter

It’s almost amazing how The Last Starfighter’s long developing legacy-quel, with Rogue One writer Gary Whitta attached, can’t seem to escape the atmosphere of development hell. If you ask us, we blame the Ko-Dan Empire for this serious lack of progress. 

The Mummy

“Lack of effort” isn’t the primary cause that killed The Mummy’s potential third sequel. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel like there was never enough hustle to try and get the series back on the rails with Brendan Fraser and company involved. At best, all Universal has to show for things is a failed reboot with Tom Cruise, and a lot of fans hoping Rick O’Connell and his family will return. 

Wanted

Director Timur Bekmambetov still likes to talk about the potential sequel to his 2008 hit Wanted, but that talk seems to be going nowhere. This James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie starring hit still has its fans, but apparently none of them are in positions of power to get a second picture into the works. 

District 9

One of Neill Blomkamp’s most promising sequel pitches has to be the follow-up he was planning to continue the story of his breakout hit District 9. As the 2009 sci-fi movie left off on a huge cliffhanger, further exploration of the worlds occupied by Wikus (Shartlo Copley) and “Prawn” Christopher (Jason Cope) just might have expanded this hard-hitting story across the galaxy. 

Edge of Tomorrow

If Tom Cruise wants to do something, he tends to get his way on the matter at hand. A potential Edge of Tomorrow sequel is one of the rare cases that, at the moment, proves this isn’t always the case. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time before Tom makes this seemingly impossible feat a reality. 

Galaxy Quest

Across the spectrum of movies and TV, the potential continuation of 1999’s Galaxy Quest has been a subject of great work and much promise. While potential successor efforts seem to have mostly halted after the death of Alan Rickman, it’s still somewhat surprising that there weren’t more attempts made closer to the release of the original. 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

While there’s not a “definitive” version of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the places the 2005 cinematic incarnation could have gone were numerous. That unfulfilled promise could have been realized through the more recent Hulu series that was pitched, but the radio silence on that front speaks volumes about the possibility. 

The Rocketeer

Despite its initial box office troubles, The Rocketeer has continued to thrill audiences young and old. There’s been quite a bit of talk over the years involving legacy-quels pitches, but as it currently stands all that’s actually happened is a Disney Junior series that ran between 2019 and 2020.

James Bond

Over 60 years of history is pretty amazing with any film franchise, especially the James Bond series of movies. But with so many potentials for spin-offs and book-accurate adaptations, the most the powers that be have done to branch out this particular brand is the Prime Video exclusive reality series 007: Road to a Million.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack Skellington’s exploits in trying to take over Christmas are legendary, even with The Nightmare Before Christmas’ rocky start in theaters. While there is a video game sequel, as well as adjacent adventures in sagas like Kingdom Hearts, no cinematic continuation to Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s perennial favorite has been made.

National Treasure

What’s tougher than stealing the Declaration of Independence? Try making a theatrical sequel to the National Treasure movies. Ending on a cliffhanger that seemed to set up a natural continuation with a third movie, the short-lived Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History is the closest we’ve gotten to re-entering the world of Nicholas Cage’s iconic treasure hunter Benjamin Gates. 

Sherlock Holmes

There could be hope for a third Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie, especially with his Young Sherlock series potentially reinvigorating interest in the IP. The wait for such a prospect has certainly been a killer, but fans of Steven Moffat’s modern adaptation of Sherlock would probably fight for the title of “most disappointed fans on Baker Street,” as that BBC series stopped after four rounds of adventure. 

Hocus Pocus

We understand that Hocus Pocus has a sequel movie, and there’s another round that’s looking to get underway. But to be completely honest, it’s surprising that there wasn’t a larger scrum to dig up the Sanderson Sisters a lot earlier, especially when the old days of Disney direct-to-video sequels would have eaten this prospect up, and asked for more.

Unless we are talking about Mission: Impossible–M:I 8 is currently filming or the long-delayed Top Gun: Maverick–Tom Cruise isn’t known for making very many sequels to his flicks. But, according to one former cast member, there is one film in his oeuvre that he is shocked never got a follow-up. The former cast member in question is Christian Slater, who co-starred along with Cruise and Brad Pitt in one of the best films of the 90s, the film adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel Interview With The Vampire. According to the Heathers alum, he’s shocked that he and the Risky Business star never got a second bite at the neck, playing a vampire in a sequel.

Christian Slater Reflects on The Missed Sequel Opportunity

It's hard to believe it's been nearly three decades–the movie turns 30 this year–since we were first mesmerized by one of the most iconic vampire performances on screen. In an interview shared on Comicbook.com’s Chris Killian’s Instagram, Christian Slater discussed how he and Cruise were reflecting on the project. The pair expressed a mutual astonishment over the movie's lack of a sequel despite their roles becoming fan favorites. He recounted:

For my money, even three decades since its release, Interview With The Vampire is still one of the best vampire movies ever committed to celluloid. Upon release, it was a critical and financial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing R-rated horror films of 1994, and grew to become a goth cult favorite. Not to mention, it introduced the broader world to actress Kirsten Dunst, a role Cruise helped the young actress secure thanks to some very practical advice.

The Enduring Legacy of 'Interview With the Vampire'

Tom Cruise's electrifying turn as the vampire Lestat was central to the film’s success. Initially, Anne Rice, the source material's author, hated Cruise’s casting in the role. However, his performance won her over and helped cement the film's place in cinematic history. Despite this success and the buzz around it, plans to continue Lestat's story with Cruise in a sequel never came to fruition. While the potential for a direct follow-up to this beloved film sparked plenty of discussions, ultimately, those plans remained just out of reach, leaving fans to wonder what might have been.

There was anticipation over a sequel starring the Top Gun A-lister, yet various factors, including rights issues, changes in production companies, and creative decisions, led to a different path for the book to screen adaptations of Rice's novels.

The next film in the series, Queen of the Damned, starring the late singer and actress Aaliyah, was released in 2002, but it did not involve Tom Cruise. Instead, Stuart Townsend took over the role of Lestat. The film combined elements from the second and third books of Rice's series, The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. Still, it diverged significantly from the source material and did not continue directly from where Interview left off.

Interview With The Vampire is enjoying a second adaptation and return to screens as a television series, which is gearing up for its second season on AMC.

The Possibility Of A Sequel With Cruise

The ending of Interview with the Vampire set the stage perfectly for a sequel. It left audiences reeling from its final twist and introduced a new narrative thread with Daniel, the San Francisco reporter who becomes enthralled with Louis's tale of the undead. As Christian Slater hinted in the recent interview, the setup was ideal for a follow-up. Yet, despite the ripe storytelling potential, a direct continuation wasn't in the cards. Could a sequel with Cruise still happen? As the interviewers and Slater point out, Tom Cruise barely looks like he's aged since the last time he put on the Vampire Lestat's fangs. So, never say never.

Christian Slater's most recent work, another book adaptation, the series The Spiderwick Chronicles, is available now for free on The Roku Channel. Be sure to check out our 2024 movie schedule to see what upcoming horror movies are heading to a screen near you.

The tale of the famous Tom Cruise Christmas Cake is a Hollywood legend, but unlike most legends, this one is actually true. Every year around Christmas time, Cruise sends out white chocolate coconut bundt cake to some of his former co-stars and friends as a holiday gift from the Mission: Impossible actor. It’s an honor to get on the Christmas cake list, with celebs celebrating when they get the honor. However, many have wondered how long your name lasts on the list, and if there is an expiration date for how long you will receive a cake after working with Cruise on a movie. Kirsten Dunst worked with the actor 30 years ago, and is offering some insight.

It’s been three decades since Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst collaborated on The Interview with the Vampire. Dunst was only 11 years old at the time, and it was one of her first big on screen roles. Due to this collaboration, even before her teenage years, the Marie Antoinette actress earned a place on Cruise’s Christmas cake list. As it turns out, this is the gift that keeps on giving. The Oscar nominee told Entertainment Tonight that even after all these years, she is still receiving the cake each December, saying:

I guess there is no bounds for how long someone can continue getting that dessert, so excited co-star Glen Powell who recently made the cake list can expect to receive a package from Cruise every year with no end in sight. Years may pass between Top Guns and other potential collaborations, but time doesn’t seem to get you kicked off the cake list. Once you are on the exclusive list, you are on it for life. For Dunst, it must act as a nice reminder of some of her early acting days, and the experience she had at the beginning of her career. Also according to Tom Hanks, the cake is delicious, so who wouldn’t want to still be included?

Dunst also revealed that she is amongst one of Cruise’s luckiest former co-stars, as her household not only gets one but two Christmas cakes from the Jerry Maguire actor. Dunst’s husband is frequent collaborator Jesse Plemons, who she just worked with a third time on Alex Garland’s Civil War. Plemons has an impressive filmography of his own, and additionally worked with Cruise on American Made. This earned him his own Christmas cake, and therefore, their household receives double the cake around the holidays. She said:

This is a pretty cool flex. While A-listers like Michael Bay and Hayley Atwell can get excited about gorgeous bundt cake delivered year after year, not many can claim that they get two sent to their house. This makes me think if there is any other doubling up happening on the cake front. Cruise has worked with couple Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz individually as well, on Collateral and Vanilla Sky respectively, so I’d love to hear if they are also getting multiple cakes. With such a prolific career like Cruise, I wonder if he’ll ever draw a line in the sand. However, after that impressive Top Gun: Maverick payday, there is probably enough cake money to go around.

When Kirsten Dunst isn’t receiving gorgeous Christmas cakes from former co-stars, she is starring in some of the best movies in recent memory. You can see her in her latest film, Civil War, which is getting great reactions from critics and is currently playing in theaters nationwide. For more information on other exciting titles hitting the big screen later this year, make sure to consult our 2024 movie release schedule.

One year after Sylvester Stallone and genetically modified dinosaurs ruled the Earth (and the box office), 1994 gave us some of not only the best movies of the ‘90s, but also some of the greatest films of all time. And, as hard as it is to believe, it has been 30 years since these amazing action movies, beloved Stephen King adaptations, and all-time great romantic comedies hit the big screen and found a permanent place in the hearts of generations of moviegoers.

If you want to go back and revisit 1994, one of the best movie years ever, you don’t need a time machine. Instead, you can go back in time by watching these iconic movies. Better yet, we’ve provided multiple ways you can enjoy these Best Picture winners, Disney classics, and game-changing indie flicks that launched the careers of some of today’s most well-known actors and filmmakers… 

The Shawshank Redemption

Despite initially being a box office bomb, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption has since earned a reputation for being one of the best movies of all time. This cherished adaptation of Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption tells the unforgettable story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) as he endures years of mental and physical abuse in a Maine penitentiary while patiently planning his escape. 

A staple of midday HBO programming throughout the mid-to-late ‘90s (and various other channels ever since), this sprawling and incredibly moving story about the resilience of the human spirit is the stuff of wonders.

Rent/Buy The Shawshank Redemption on Amazon.

Pulp Fiction

Several years after making a name for himself as a filmmaker you had to watch with Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino established himself as one of the best directors of the ‘90s with his 1994 megahit, Pulp Fiction. With its non-linear narrative structure that jumps between multiple intertwined storylines, this dark comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and a revitalized John Travolta became an instant classic upon its release.

Though it has a certain timeless quality, Pulp Fiction is one of those movies most associated with 1994, maybe because it captured the attention and hearts of millions of moviegoers that year and ever since.

Stream Pulp Fiction on Max.
Rent/Buy Pulp Fiction on Amazon.

Forrest Gump

Though there’s an argument to be made about Pulp Fiction or Shawshank Redemption being more deserving of the Best Picture trophy at the 67th Academy Awards, there’s no denying Forrest Gump’s place in cinematic history. This epic story of one man’s (Tom Hanks) journey that takes him from rural Alabama to Vietnam and back (and everywhere in between) is a powerful and inspirational film like no other.

It was impossible to escape Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 summer blockbuster, during its theatrical run, in the lead up to the Oscars, and pretty much ever since. It may be set between the 1950s and 1980s, but this is a 1994 film if we’ve ever seen one.

Stream Forrest Gump on Paramount+.
Stream Forrest Gump on Prime Video.
Rent/Buy Forrest Gump on Amazon.

Speed

Undoubtedly one of the best ‘90s action movies, Jan de Bont’s Speed further established Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as two of the brightest stars in Hollywood and became an instant classic upon its release. With its two leads (who had electric chemistry), intense premise of a bus that can’t go below a certain speed or it will explode, and one of the most iconic shots of the ‘90s, there’s so much to love.

Watching Speed 30 years later is just as fun of an experience as it was in 1994, but now we get loads of nostalgia along with it.

Stream Speed on Starz.
Rent/Buy Speed on Amazon.

Clerks

Kevin Smith’s small-budget, black-and-white comedy, Clerks, introduced the world to one of the funniest, sharpest, and most unique voices of a generation back in 1994. Following Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) over a single day, Smith’s indie hit captured the essence of 20-somethings just trying to get through their day-to-day lives, and the wide range of conversations they have to pass the time.

It’s funny looking back on what’s become of Smith and his View Askewiverse in the 30 years since Clerks was released, and we’re all a little better off having both in our lives.

Stream Clerks on Paramount+.
Stream Clerks on Prime Video.
Rent/Buy Clerks on Amazon. 

The Lion King

The Lion King doesn’t have an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, not because it wasn’t good (it’s great), but because the award didn’t exist when the Disney megahit was released in the summer of 1994. From the opening credits sequence to the closing shot of Simba looking over the Pride Lands, this movie is outstanding. The songs, the animation, the characters, everything about this animated film just works, and it works well.

Stream The Lion King on Disney+.
Buy The Lion King on Amazon.

The Crow

Though a lot of the conversations surrounding The Crow have to do with the tragic on-set accident that claimed the life of star Brandon Lee, Alex Proyas’ 1994 dark and gritty adaptation of The Crow is also remembered for being a slick, unique, and unforgettable action-drama about a rockstar coming back from the dead to avenge his fiancee.

From its visuals to its costuming to its remarkable soundtrack (The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and more), The Crow perfectly captures the spirit and essence of the mid-90s in every way imaginable.

Stream The Crow on Prime Video.
Rent/Buy The Crow on Amazon. 

Hoop Dreams

Steve James’ Hoop Dreams wasn’t even nominated for Best Documentary at the Oscars, but looking back, it was the best documentary film released in 1994. This nearly three-hour feature documents the lives of two Chicago teenagers – William Gates and Arthur Agee – as they attempt to make their basketball dreams come true despite being forced to overcome all kinds of obstacles.

Powerful, inspiring, and culturally significant, Hoop Dreams has since earned a reputation as being one of the best basketball movies of all time, and one of the better explorations of the triumph and tragedy of student athletes.

Stream Hoop Dreams on Max.
Rent/Buy Hoop Dreams on Amazon. 

Reality Bites

Ben Stiller made his feature film directorial debut with the 1994 cult classic, Reality Bites. Centering on a group of college graduates living together in Houston, Texas, the movie perfectly captures the angst, fears, and desires of a generation branching out on their own for the first time and coming to terms with the fact that life is complicated, messy, and kind of bites.

Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Jeneane Garofalo, and Stiller are all incredible in their respective roles, and each actor can find a way to center on the likable and not-so-likable traits of their characters.

Stream Reality Bites on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Reality Bites on Amazon. 

Interview With The Vampire

Neil Jordan’s 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic horror novel, Interview with the Vampire, features what could be described as some of the best and moodiest performances of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt’s career. Centering on the years-long journey of Lestat de Lioncout (Tom Cruise) and Louis de Pointe du Lac (Pitt) as they go from city to city and century to century, the film is full of one iconic scene after another.

Rent/Buy Interview with the Vampire on Amazon.

Dumb And Dumber

Few actors have ever had a better year than Jim Carrey did in 1994. Following the box office and pop culture hits that were Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask, Carrey concluded his remarkable 12-month run with Dumb and Dumber, an outrageously hilarious movie about two dim-witted friends who travel across the country to return a briefcase. Causing all kinds of problems along the way, Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) find themselves in a series of absurd situations.

The first feature film directed by the Farrelly brothers, this all-time great comedy road trip movie is just as popular decades later and is never not funny.

Stream Dumb and Dumber on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Dumb and Dumber on Amazon. 

Four Weddings And A Funeral

Written by Richard Curtis and directed by Mike Newell, Four Weddings and a Funeral is one of those movies that never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. With the perfect blend of comedy and drama, good times and bad, this charming romantic comedy about a young British bachelor (Hugh Grant) becoming awestruck with an American woman (Andie MacDowell) who’s set to get married, as well as his group of friends, is delightful in every way imaginable.

Rent/Buy Four Weddings and a Funeral on Amazon.

True Lies

James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up for a third time with the 1994 action-comedy, True Lies, a film that both poked fun at the genre while also introducing some of its best characters and explosive moments. The idea of Schwarzenegger living a double life and lying about his occupation to his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) shouldn’t have worked as well as it does, but somehow they were able to pull it off.

Watching True Lies 30 years later is just as fun as it was back in the day thanks to those expertly crafted action sequences, quick-witted humor, and all-time great performances from the lead actors.

Buy True Lies on Amazon.

Little Women

There have been several adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women over the years, but one that captures the heart and soul of the 19th-century novel better than most is the movie made by Gillian Armstrong in 1994. Starring Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Trini Alvarado as the four March sisters, this adaptation is a loving tribute to the work and legacy Alcott left behind more than a century earlier.

Stream Little Women on Pluto TV.
Rent/Buy Little Women on Amazon. 

Natural Born Killers

Featuring one of the darkest romance stories of all time, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, which was based on a script written by Quentin Tarantino, follows lovers-turned-killers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) as they sweep each other off their feet and embark upon a blood-soaked crime spree around the United States. 

An attack on American pop culture and the country’s obsession with materialism and the “if it bleeds, it leads” media mentality, Stone’s inventive and violent movie has earned quite a reputation over the years.

Rent/Buy Natural Born Killers on Amazon.

As hard as it is to believe, each of these movies turns 30 in 2024. However, after revisiting them, it’s easy to see why they remain so popular and impactful all these years later.

After years of rumors, false starts and delayed plans, late 2022 saw Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (which kicked off more book to screen adaptations of her work) get off to a roaring start on AMC with the first series adaptation of her legendary Vampire Chronicles novels. The first season delivered some brutal kills and a Season 1 finale double cross that had to happen, and now we’ve finally gotten the intense first look at how things will pick up for Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview with the Vampire Season 2. And, while he’s clearly trying to start a new life with Claudia and Armand, I totally get why he’s still haunted by that “monster” Lestat.

What Have We Seen Of Interview With The Vampire Season 2?

AMC has been kind to fans who’ve been waiting to see more from Interview with the Vampire Season 2, and gifted us with an extended trailer that clocks in at well over three minutes and shows us just how wild the new episodes are going to get! I mean, for the love of Marius, it basically starts with Lestat on fire!

As we see, Louis (Game of Thrones actor, Jacob Anderson) is still revealing many of his secrets (and those of vampkind in general) to reporter Daniel Malloy (Eric Bogosian), but Armand (Assad Zaman), who’d been watching everything unfold in Season 1 while pretending to be Louis’ servant, has now revealed himself and seems less than happy that his long-time love has “lost control” of the interview. So, he’s now joined the proceedings, which will surely have an effect on both what’s told to Daniel and how.

These new sessions of their interview will deliver the beginnings of the relationship between Louis and Armand, as well as how he and Claudia (new star Delainey Hayles) started over in Europe after escaping the suave and controlling Lestat (Hatfields and McCoys star Sam Reid). But, you know, there are some very good reasons that the golden-haired Frenchman with the dark gift is still so ever-present in this clip.

First of all, well, he’s totally still alive. While Claudia and Louis did have to plot so that they could manage to get away from the much older and stronger vamp, Louis was unable to completely finish him. After much arguing, he somehow convinced blood-thirsty Claudia to be satisfied with Louis nearly letting him bleed out after being poisoned, and then dumping him with the garbage…where he could easily get his strength back in the darkened trunk they tossed him in by feeding on dump rats.

So, the first season blissfully left fans without the most obvious (and “boring”) cliffhanger, but the bloody drama is far from over. Along with Lestat still living his immortal life as Louis and Claudia fall in with Armand and the vamps of the Théâtre des Vampires, who are probably not all the “good ones” that Louis is hoping to find, we saw over the course of Season 1 that Louis came to both love and hate Lestat. 

Finishing him would have been like killing a large part of who he’d become after being freed from the indignities of humanity, so even if he had decapitated his lover or burned him to a crisp, he would have been haunted by his memory instead of the actual seductive vampire showing up to (likely) make Louis doubt attempting to live his undead life without him.

Even through all of the love and violence that we see spread throughout the trailer, it’s clear that this season is going to focus on Louis and his relationships with both those he calls family now, as well as his interactions with everyone who plays a big part in his life, whether they’re alive, dead, or forever both.

Vampires. They are mythical creatures that have been in conversations from storytellers as far back as 1047 A.D. and are not going out of style anytime soon, by the looks of it. Vampires have not only been the center of some of the best horror movies of all time, but have held their own across many other genres from the early black and white days of cinema to recent years. 

If you’re in the mood to dive into a story about the undead who famously need to drink blood to remain immortal and may or may not be repelled by garlic, check out our picks for the best vampire movies. 

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) 

Speaking of vampires inspiring a variety of genres, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez very much proved this with their action horror film (with a twang of western influence), From Dusk Till Dawn. The 1996 movie stars George Clooney and Tarantino as fugitive bank robber brothers who find themselves trapped in a saloon frequented by vampires on their journey to escape into Mexico. 

Stream From Dusk Till Dawn on Max.
Rent/Buy From Dusk Till Dawn on Amazon. 

Blade (1998) 

In the ‘90s, vampire lore crossed paths with the superhero genre when Wesley Snipes starred in an adaptation of the Marvel Comics title, Blade. The movie follows the titular vampire hunter, who is a human-vampire hybrid himself, as he protects the mortal world from evil vampires. It was also one of the first Marvel adaptations that helped usher in the influx of comic book movies. Watch it before Mahershala Ali’s remake comes out in 2025. 

Stream Blade on Fubo.
Rent/Buy Blade on Amazon.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Romance has always followed the world of vampires, and that was beautifully captured in Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive. The 2013 fantasy film stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as vampire lovers, aptly named Adam and Eve, who have been married for centuries. As Adam becomes depressed by the direction of modern society, the pair’s relationship gets tested when Eve’s little sister (played by Mia Wasikowska) turns up. 

Stream Only Lovers Left Alive for free (with ads) on PlutoTV.
Stream Only Lovers Left Alive on Paramount+.
Stream Only Lovers Left Alive on Fubo.
Rent/Buy Only Lovers Left Alive on Amazon. 

Dracula (1931)

You certainly can’t go wrong with Bela Lugosi’s Dracula in 1931. It’s just about as classic as you can get with vampire movies. Based on Bram Stoker’s novel, Lugosi plays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England to suck the blood of various victims. 

Rent/Buy Dracula on Amazon. 

Hotel Transylvania (2012) 

If you’re looking for a vampire flick to enjoy with the entire family, Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania franchise is a delightful take on Count Dracula. In the 2012 first movie, Adam Sandler voices the vampire as the owner of a hotel geared toward other monsters and a father of a vampire daughter (Selena Gomez), who falls in love with a human (Andy Samberg). 

Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania on Amazon. 

Let The Right One In (2008)

Sweden’s Let The Right One is one of the most highly-regarded vampire movies of all time. Based on the novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist (who also wrote the movie’s screenplay), the film follows a 12-year-old boy who is the victim of constant bullying who befriends a young vampire girl. 

Stream Let The Right One In for free on Tubi.
Stream Let The Right One In for free on The Roku Channel.
Stream Let The Right One In for free (with ads) on PlutoTV.

Stream Let The Right One In on Peacock.
Stream/Rent/Buy Let The Right One In on Amazon. 

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Hilarious New Zealanders Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement got their hands on the vampire genre for a 2014 mockumentary horror comedy called What We Do In The Shadows. The movie is about a group of vampire housemates who live together in Wellington, New Zealand. That film then inspired a series that is ending with Season 6 in 2024. 

Rent/Buy What We Do In The Shadows on Amazon.

The Lost Boys (1987)

Another comedic vampire movie that has become a classic is 1987’s The Lost Boys. The movie, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring the likes of Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland and Dianne Wiest, is about two two brothers who move to a fictional town in California with their mother only to find out it's a secret haven for vampires. 

Rent/Buy The Lost Boys on Amazon.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt once played vampires together… What else is there to know to sell one on 1994’s Interview with the Vampire? Well, the movie is also based on a bestselling Anne Rice book (Rice also wrote the movie’s screenplay) that follows the story of a 200-year-old vampire who tells his story in the present-day to a San Francisco reporter (played by Christian Slater). 

Rent/Buy Interview With The Vampire on Amazon. 

Thirst (2009)

Famed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, who also helmed Oldboy, The Handmaiden and Decision To Leave, made his own vampire flick with 2009’s Thirst. The movie, starring Parasite’s Song Kang-ho, is about a Catholic priest who turns into a vampire after a failed medical experiment and begins an irresistible affair. 

Rent/Buy Thirst on Amazon.

A Girl Walks Home At Night (2014)

Another gem of a vampire movie from outside of Hollywood is 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night by Persian filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour. The black and white movie touted as a vampire western is about a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who begins preying on men who disrespect women in her city in Iran. 

Rent/Buy A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night on Amazon.

Twilight (2008) 

After Stephanie Meyer led a phenomenon with her vampire romance novels, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson helped make it a hit Hollywood franchise starting with 2008’s Twilight. The movie is about a teen girl named Bella (Stewart) who falls in love with a 100-year-old vampire who goes to her new high school in Washington, and becomes intertwined not only with his “vegetarian” family, but a vampire sociopath who's out for her blood, as well. It’s probably the only vampire movie with its own LEGO set on the way. 

Rent/Buy Twilight on Amazon.

Nosferatu (1922)

Perhaps the earliest vampire film with a commercial following is 1922’s silent German expressionist film, Nosferatu. The classic (and very old) movie is also inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but instead follows Count Orlok as he preys on the wife of his estate agent and the fictional German town of Wisborg. Check it out before Robert Eggers’ 2024 Nosferatu movie comes out in late 2024! 

Stream Nosferatu for free (with ads) on PlutoTV.
Stream Nosferatu for free (in color) on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Nosferatu on Amazon.

So, so many great vampire movies to explore! We may not be immortal, but all these films, from a variety of eras, can help one explore the timeless influence the mythical creature has on cinema! 

Although Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt are still two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Interview with the Vampire remains the only time these two have worked together. The film adaptation of Anne Rice’s same-named novel saw Cruise and Pitt respectively playing lead bloodsuckers Lestat de Lioncourt and Louise de Pointe du Lac, and in addition to its commercial success, the movie has assembled a sizable fanbase since its release in 1994. Ironically though, Pitt really hated shooting the flick, even going so far to say he was “miserable” during the production. 

Interview with the Vampire is certainly one of the more dour of Brad Pitt’s movies, with Louis soon regretting being turned into a vampire by Lestat and seeing this form of immortality as a curse rather than a gift. While speaking with EW, the interviewer noted that Pitt looked miserable in the movie, and he confirmed as such, adding that it was “six months in the fucking dark” and described himself as playing the “bitch role.” As Pitt elaborated, despite being familiar with the Interview with the Vampire book, his expectation for playing the character got turned on its head when he received the script just two weeks before filming started, and he hadn’t read any earlier drafts. When the interviewer that once someone’s a movie star, they can ask to see the script much earlier, Pitt answered:

When Interview with the Vampire came out, Brad Pitt had only recently started gaining recognition from movies like Thelma & Louise and A River Runs Through It. Between Interview and Legends of the Fall in 1994 (the latter actually shot before the former, but came out afterwards), followed by Seven and 12 Monkeys the year after, Pitt would soon be catapulted to worldwide fame. That said, the actor admitted that when he was cast as Louis, he had “nothing,” so he couldn’t afford to be choosy. Still, one can’t fault him for being disappointed that Interview with the Vampire ended up being more of a “Tom Cruise vehicle,” although Pitt did commend his costar for dealing with all the “pressure” on him from the fans of the source material and making the role “work.”

All this isn’t to say that Pitt’s experience on Interview with the Vampire was entirely negative, as it birthed his “love affair” with New Orleans, and he made some “great friends” there. However, when it came time to switch shooting locations, Pitt became so miserable that he inquired about what it would cost for him to leave the movie. As Pitt recalled:

Despite Interview with the Vampire’s ending teasing a new story between Tom Cruise’s Lestat and Christian Slater’s Daniel Molloy, neither them, nor Brad Pitt, ever reprised their roles. Instead, a standalone sequel called Queen of the Damed, based on the third book in The Vampire Chronicles series, was released in 2002, with Stuart Townsend taking over as Lestat. Two decades later, AMC premiered its Interview with the Vampire TV series, which stars Jacob Anderson as Louis and Sam Reid as Lestat. Season 1 ended in November 2022 (and sidestepped the most obvious cliffhanger), and Season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in 2025.

As for Brad Pitt, he was last seen on the big screen in Babylon, which can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription, and he’ll next be seen re-teaming with Ocean’s Eleven costar George Clooney in Apple TV+’s Wolves. Additionally, Pitt is one of the executive producers on The Killer, the Michael Fassbender-led movie that Netflix subscribers will be able to view starting on November 10.

As the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes rage on, movies and shows continue to get pushed to later dates due to the AMPTP’s refusal to negotiate in good faith with the unions. While many fans have come to accept that they’re going to be waiting months, if not years, for new seasons of their favorite shows, there is some good news in store for fans of three AMC Network shows. This is because The Walking Dead spin-offs Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live and Interview with a Vampire have both reached interim agreements with SAG-AFTRA to resume filming. 

Deadline broke the news announcing that AMC Network has signed the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, which allows the three formally halted productions to resume production. This interim agreement means that AMC Network agreed to all the terms SAG-AFTRA is currently proposing. 

While the move is exciting for the actors involved in the shows, it could be met with some criticism as many industry members disagree over the benefits of interim agreements. Dan Signer, a WGA member and writer from shows like Lopez vs. Lopez, took to X (formally known as Twitter) last month to outline his thoughts on why interim agreements don’t work in the long run:

However, it should be noted that AMC Network appears to have only signed the interim agreement for these three productions, leaving the rest of its upcoming slate in limbo until the strikes are resolved. Although, AMC Network's CEO has assured fans that this is not going to happen anytime soon, because a lot of their upcoming series are completed.

In addition, AMC Network did not provide more details on the extent of what led to them signing the agreement. However, Deadline noted that the network "is what's known as an authorized company with regards to the AMPTP but is not among the studios involved in the negotiations."

Given AMC Networks is not one of the major studios negotiating with the unions, they were allowed to sign the interim agreement to restart production. It’s unclear whether or not the move would have been granted had The Walking Dead spin-offs or Interview with a Vampire been produced by one of the major studios. 

There are no set dates for production as of yet, but it’s safe to assume that it will be sooner rather than later. Interview with a Vampire is slated to resume production of its highly-anticipated second season in Prague, whereas The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will start shooting its second season in Europe, and the cast of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will return to recording booths to finish up post-production work, including ADR. 

While it’ll still be some time before the new seasons are released on AMC+, you can stream the first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon when it premieres on the 2023 TV schedule on September 10 and catch up on the first season of Interview with a Vampire with an active AMC+ subscription. Or, if you’re not an AMC+ subscriber, you can stream Interview with a Vampire with a Max subscription from September 1 to October 31.

We live in a world where franchises dominate Hollywood, and that means not only endless remakes and reboots but quite often the production of sequels to projects that are years, even decades old. A sequel to Top Gun became one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time last year, and one of Cruise’s former co-stars in a different project, Interview with the Vampire, wouldn’t be against revisiting his old character, because he'd like to know what happened to him. 

Christian Slater recently appeared in the Disney+ series Willow, which picked up the story of the cult classic movie more than 20 years later. I recently had the chance to talk to Slater following the Willow first season conclusion and, as an actor who’s been making movies for many years, I asked if there were any of his old characters he might want to check in on. He suggested his character, the titular Interviewer in Interview with the Vampire, had his story left open-ended, and he admitted to being curious about what happened next. He explained…

While several of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles books have become film adaptations, there was technically never a direct sequel to Interview with the Vampire starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. As such, the final scene, where, Cruise’s Lestat bites Christian Slater’s character, is never directly followed up on. 

Based on the fact that Slater’s character specifically asks to be turned in the previous scene, it seems likely that the choice that he made was to become a vampire. Also, it has to be said that if the character chose not to be turned, it wouldn’t make for much of a movie.

There is one particularly interesting reason why following up on the ending of Interview with the Vampire movie would be potentially interesting which is that the movie ends differently than the original novel, while Christian Slater’s character does play an ongoing role in the larger franchise, and does eventually become a vampire, it happens quite differently in the books.

As such, a follow-up on the character today would almost certainly see Slater’s character in a very different place. This would allow for essentially a completely original story. So maybe an Interview with the Vampire legacy sequel isn’t that bad an idea. The fact that Interview is now a TV series likely means the rights situation would make such a film complicated to make at best, but if modern Hollywood has taught us anything, it’s never too late to return to a popular franchise.

Theme parks are places where some of our favorite movies come to life so we can experience them in ways that we just can’t in a movie theater. Disneyland and Walt Disney World bring all our favorite Disney characters to life, and you enter the worlds of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Fast & Furious at Universal Studios. But there is one man whose film output has gone almost entirely ignored in theme parks: Tom Cruise.

The fact that we don’t have more theme park rides based on Tom Cruise movies is sort of insane. So many of his movies would make for great attractions. In fact, there are so many that you could honestly build an entire Tom Cruise theme park. And so that’s what we’re going to do here. Here’s our breakdown of what a Tom Cruise theme park should look like.

To be clear, we're not going to build an entire theme park here. Instead, we'll focus on those key, E-ticket attractions that the park will need, along with a few of the ancillary necessities, like shows and places to eat. 

Tom Cruise’s Fantasyland

As with any good theme park, we’re going to break it down into a few different lands. In this case, we’re going to use film genres as the primary criteria for what belongs in each land. To start, we have rides based on Cruise’s most fantastical movies.

Legend - Journey Into Darkness

The most traditional theme park attraction is the dark ride; a ride vehicle on a set course takes you through a collection of scenes that tell a story. While Legend isn’t exactly one of Tom Cruise’s most popular films, it is a cult classic and it exists in one of the most beautifully created worlds of any Cruise movie. The dark ride would start with the beautiful fields showing unicorns and other fantasy creatures before taking you to the castle of Darkness, which would be an incredible animatronic to see in action.  

Interview with a Vampire - Flight Over New Orleans

Our Tom Cruise theme park won’t have a New Orleans Square like Disneyland, but we can give it a bit of Big Easy flair by recreating New Orleans in an attraction. The city is a key location in Interview with a Vampire, and an attraction could give us a vampire’s perspective as he travels the city at night. This could be a simple suspended dark ride, i.e. something like a very mature Peter Pan’s Flight, or even a larger scale experience, along the lines of Soarin’. 

Eyes Wide Shut - Fidelio

This one won’t be quite as wild as you think, but it is a very different sort of fantasy. Fidelio will actually be the theme park’s “exclusive” (and by exclusive, we just mean you’ll need reservations) supper club. This is for guests who want to spend money on a high-end dining experience. It will be done up in the style of the famous Eyes Wide Shut mansion, but it’s just dinner.. or maybe not. Anything more is your own business.  

AdrenaLand

Tom Cruise is an action movie king, so obviously there are going to need to be some exciting thrill rides connected to Cruise’s biggest action movies. Honestly, the most difficult question here is where to stop.

Top Gun - Maverick’s F-18 Coaster

Quite possibly the single most obvious, and necessary, addition to any Tom Cruise theme park would have to be a Top Gun roller coaster. In point of fact, these have existed in the past. Both California’s Great America and King’s Island previously had licensed Top Gun coasters, and the coasters still exist, though the names have changed. Rather than simply doing an inverted coaster like those, we can do this one as two-car single-seat vehicles, mimicking the cockpit of a jet. And of course, it needs to go fast and include every manner of loop and spin imaginable. 

Mission Impossible - Burj Khalifa Tower Drop 

There are so many great stunts from the Mission: Impossible franchise that we could try to turn into theme park attractions that picking one is almost impossible. Having said that, the most iconic has to be the Burj Khalifa climb, and descent, from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. And since we could easily turn an idea like that into a Tower of Terror-style drop ride, and our park should have one of those, it’s perfect. 

Days Of Thunder - Cole Trickle Racing School

We have fast jets with a Top Gun ride, now we need fast cars. This could be done with another roller coaster, but we have a precedent for high-speed ground vehicle attractions with rides like Epcot’s Test Track. However, this Days of Thunder ride would need to include more, and longer, high-speed sections, with slowdowns only when the ride vehicle makes pit stops. Screens and projections with animatronics can even make it look like your car’s tires are being replaced. 

Mission: Impossible - This Message Will Self Destruct

Mission: Impossible is a film series showing Tom Cruise doing wild stunts, but it’s also about spy craft, and that makes it perfect for an escape room style experience. With Universal Orlando Resort now in the escape room business, this is clearly something that can work in a theme park environment, so we’re adding a second attraction based on this franchise. It’s certainly big enough for it. 

The Hard Deck

In addition to rides, we need food and drink, so near the Top Gun roller coaster, we’ll also have The Hard Deck, the park’s re-creation of the bar run by Jennifer Connelly’s character in Top Gun: Maverick. Standard burgers and brews sort of place with dishes we could name after the callsigns of the characters from both movies in the franchise. 

Welcome To Oblivion

Our third main land of the Tom Cruise Theme Park will be dedicated specifically to his science fiction movies. There are some great ones to choose from, and with plans still in place for Cruise to make a movie in actual space, there are possibilities for that to be our first park expansion.

 War of the Worlds - Invasion Evacuation

Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds feels like a forgotten film for both the director and Cruise. However, the Tom Cruise theme park has not forgotten it. We see this one as an Indiana Jones Adventure-style attraction, where a ride vehicle that looks like a standard car is attempting to escape from Martian walkers firing down upon it. A combination of animatronics and screens makes it seem like aliens are everywhere while the vehicle speeds, stops and swerves to avoid other cars, alien blasts and other catastrophes.

Edge of Tomorrow - Live. Die. Ride.

One roller coaster isn’t enough, so our second big coaster will be here. This one takes its cues from Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, as it will combine an indoor coaster with video screens that tell a story all around you. Guests are using alien technology to time travel, but then they get stuck and must follow the correct path of events to find a way out. 

Highway to the Danger Zone

Our final stop in Tom Cruise Land will also be our first stop, as this will be the theme park entrance and exit area. Like Main Street U.S.A., this area won’t have any rides, but it will include some nice places to eat as well as a large space for shows and other activities.

Tropic Thunder - Les Grossman Dance Party

It’s become something of a joke among Walt Disney World fans that if a park ends up with an empty space that nobody is quite sure what to do with, they’ll put a dance party there. But dance parties can be fun, so we’re putting a dance party in. In the evenings, music will play, hosted by Les Grossman, who acts as DJ and dances along on the stage.

Rock of Ages Revue

If dancing isn’t quite your thing, but you like music, then during the day, the same stage will host regular performances of the Rock of Ages Revue. Live bands play covers of popular music, the sort that anybody will be able to sing along with. 

The Color of Money - Vince’s Lounge

Our most casual place to grab a bite to eat in the Tom Cruise park looks like an old, and very well-loved, pool hall. Grab a drink or a quick bite to eat at the bar, and if a table is free, grab a cue and shoot some pool. Everybody’s doin’ it, "Werewolves of London" plays every hour on the hour.

Cocktail - Flanagan's Cocktails and Dreams

While most dining locations in Tom Cruise land serve alcohol, if you want to go to a bar that is an attraction all its own, then you want to visit Flanagan's Cocktails and Dreams, the bar owned by Tom Cruise’s character at the end of Cocktail. This is where the party is. The bartenders make great drinks and they do it with style. 

A Few Good Men - A Few Good Shops

Finally, before you leave the Tom Cruise theme park, you’ll want to grab a souvenir. Gift shops are located throughout the park, but at A Few Good Shops, you’ll find a wide variety of Tom Cruise merch.

What do you think? Would you like to visit the Tom Cruise theme park? We certainly didn’t cover all the Tom Cruise movies that could inspire attractions, but that just means there’s room for expansion. 

This past weekend gave us a second Anne Rice series, which continues what is being called the Immortal Universe, in the Alexandra Daddario-starring Mayfair Witches. The new show and Interview with the Vampire are mostly set in New Orleans, like the books that inspired them, and the author did create an expansive, connected world with her scary novels. If fans are wondering about other connections between both shows, though, it turns out that the vamps and witches have already been linked on screen.

How Has Alexandra Daddario’s Mayfair Witches Been Connected To Interview With The Vampire?

The time that many of Rice’s fans have been waiting decades for has finally arrived, as not only did early October see the debut of an AMC series based on her Interview with the Vampire (which takes the story in a different direction than the Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt film) debut to generally wonderful reviews and viewer reaction, but we now also have the newly released Mayfair Witches, which furthers the world the writer created for TV audiences. While there were no nods to IWTV in the premiere of the new supernatural series, the same cannot be said for the debut of the previous drama.

Episode 1 of Interview with the Vampire (which featured one of the vampire show’s most brutal kills) saw a still human Louis de Pointe du Lac speaking with his mother and siblings as they shared a family breakfast one day and discuss sister Grace’s impending wedding. Louis’ brother, Paul, sees fit to chastise Grace about deciding to partake in the African American tradition of “jumping the broom” during her ceremony, noting that there are “plenty of brooms down the street at the Mayfair sisters’ home.” To this, Grace cries to their mother, “He’s calling me a witch, Mamaw!”

While this was a small moment, and (from my recollection) I don’t believe there were any other nods to the infamous family of witches who lived near the de Pointe du Lac’s, it was a great way to tee up what was to come. It was in 2020 that AMC nabbed the rights to both Vampire and Witches, and began the process of working with the author and her son to adapt both sprawling stories, which each cover multiple books. The network has rights to 18 of Rice’s titles, and with some witchy characters having popped up in her Vampire Chronicles series, there was no reason to avoid at least one mention of the magical family in Louis and Lestat’s story.

We’ve already been given some spooky scenes in Mayfair Witches, and it’s gone a long way to explaining why Daddario’s Rowan Fielding will soon become embroiled in learning about her previously unknown magical history, the creepy spirit that influences her family, and her own unexplored powers. With the first episode already flashing back to the near past, it might not be long before we hear something of the vampires who also once lived in New Orleans.

Mayfair Witches airs Sundays on AMC, at 9 p.m. EST, and the first episode of Interview with the Vampire can be streamed without a login on the channel’s website.

Do you love reading the book before the movie or TV show? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Maybe this is the year you make the resolution to read more books attached to theatrical and streaming releases. And, there’s plenty of page-turners getting adaptations soon among upcoming 2026 movies and the 2026 TV schedule!

From a movie based on Colleen Hoover’s Verity to the new Harry Potter series, there are a lot of great adaptations to get to first in your TBR. Browse this bookshelf, and pick up the titles that make you want to say ‘I read that one’ before they become a major movie or TV show.

The Magic Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton)

Back in the 1930s and 1940s, English author Enid Blyton wrote The Faraway Tree series for children, which is about a magic tree that transports children into a world where they can meet mythological beings like fairies, goblins and elves. Now a movie has been made based on her imagination from the screenwriter of Paddington 2, Christopher Robin and Wonka. It stars the likes of Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Rebecca Ferguson and Dame Judi Dench.

The Dog Stars (Peter Heller)

Ridley Scott’s next movie (and book adaptation) is for Peter Heller’s 2012 dystopian book, The Dog Stars. In the book, a man named Hig has survived a deadly pandemic that has killed off everyone he knows, and resides in a small abandoned airport with his dog and a man named Bangley. The movie stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong.

The Whisper Man (Alex North)

Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Michael Keaton and Hamish Linklater have assembled to tell the story of The Whisper Man, which is a crime thriller novel from 2019. Keaton will play a serial killer named Frank Carter, who would lure his victims by whispering at their windows at night before getting caught. The story centers on a father, Tom (Adam Scott in the movie), and son who relocate to the town where The Whisper Man is from to get a new start after a tragedy. But when Tom’s son mysteriously disappears, signs point back to the Whisper Man.

The Book of Magic (Alice Hoffman)

After Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman starred in Practical Magic in 1998 to adapt Alice Hoffman’s beloved series about witches, the pair of movie stars have reunited for the sequel that is said to be based on the 2021 sequel, The Book Of Magic. Three generations of Owens women come together to break their family’s curse that has plagued their ability to love for generations. The movie’s cast also features Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Joey King, Xoli Maridueña, Maisie Williams and Lee Pace, and wrapped filming in September.

Verity (Colleen Hoover)

Another one of Colleen Hoover’s top sellers on the way is Verity. The movie will star Anne Hathaway, Josh Hartnett, Dakota Johnson and Ismael Cruz Córdova. The title is the name of the character, Verity Crawford, who is a bestselling author herself who has been having trouble finishing her book series. Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer with financial issues who strikes gold when she’s hired by Verity’s husband to help complete the remaining books. While attempting to work on it, Lowen finds a manuscript for Verity’s autobiography that brings to attention a terrifying secret she’s hiding. The first look at the movie promises a spicy thriller we can’t wait for.

Incidents Around The House (Josh Malerman)

Josh Malerman’s horror novel, Incidents Around The House has only been around since summer 2024, but the author of Bird Box has already caught the eye of Hollywood for a Universal/Atomic Monster movie called Other Mommy. In the story, an eight-year-old girl becomes haunted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy.” The cast includes Jessica Chastain, Dichen Lachman, Jay Duplass and Karen Allen, and director Rob Savage, who has done recent movies like Host and The Boogeyman. Sounds like a perfect movie for Halloween!

Sense & Sensibility (Jane Austen)

Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen’s first published book, is getting another movie adaptation this fall with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Caitriona Balfe, George MacKay and Fiona Shaw. The classic is about the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (who signifies sense) and Marianne (who signifies sensibility) as they deal with being young women in Regency-era England. Emma Thompson was previously in a 1995 movie version.

Whalefall (Daniel Kraus)

After Daniel Kraus’s Whalefall was named one of the best books of 2023 by many critics, it’s becoming a movie with Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Shue. A man named Gardiner travels to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California to find his father’s remains… in the ocean, and finds himself swallowed by a whale in the thrilling process. Brian Duffield has a great track record of making unique and thought-provoking movies, such as with Spontaneous and No One Will Save You.

Klara And The Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro)

Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel Klara and the Sun has been a sci-fi favorite since it came out and it’s about to be the next movie from Taika Waititi. It follows a robot named Klara, who will be played by Jenna Ortega, whose job is to be an Artificial Friend. Also part of the cast is Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Steve Buscemi.

Wildwood (Colin Meloy)

Stop-motion studio Laika, which has previously adapted Coraline, is putting their own take on the fantasy middle grade novel, Wildwood. The book has friends Prue and Curtis uncovering a hidden magical forest and becoming intertwined with its world. The movie features the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, and Jake Johnson and is helmed by ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings filmmaker Travis Knight. You can check out the Wildwood teaser trailer on YouTube.

The Cat In The Hat (Dr. Seuss)

Who can forget Dr. Seuss’ beloved 1957 children’s book, The Cat In The Hat, where the titular cat in the hat pays a girl and her brother a visit on a rainy day when her mother is away to entertain them as his friends Thing One and Thing Two wreck the house. It was previously adapted for live action in 2003, but the latest version will be an animated movie starring Bill Hader as the cat along with Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang and Xochitl Gomez also among the voice cast. Ahead of the The Cat in the Hat release date, the first trailer may have just won us over on the reboot.

The Good Daughter (Karin Slaughter)

Another book pulled from the “Thriller” section that’s becoming a TV show is Karin Slaughter’s The Good Daughter. It follows two sisters, Charlotte and Samantha, who both experienced a violent attack at their family home 28 years prior that left their mother dead and them and their father traumatized. The book promises “shocking” twists and turns at the center of the night that changed their lives forever. The Peacock series stars Meghann Fahy, Rose Byrne, Brendan Gleeson and was created by the author herself.

A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a very famous holiday story that has had many iterations over the years, with movies like 1992’s The Muppets Christmas Carol, and the Jim Carrey-led motion-capture version from 2009. This tradition is continuing this holiday season with A Christmas Carol movie from horror director Ti West. It will star Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, with Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, and Sam Claflin also in the cast. The first trailer was shown at CinemaCon, and audiences called Depp’s transformation “unrecognizable” along with talking about how it’s more comedic than expected.

Way of the Warrior Kid (Jocko Willink)

In 2017, United States Navy SEAL Jocko Willink wrote a children’s novel called Way of the Warrior Kid. In it, a fifth-grader named Marc’s life turns around when his Uncle Jake, a Navy SEAL, comes to stay for the summer and makes a plan to turn his nephew into a “warrior.” The movie stars Chris Pratt as Uncle Jake and is helmed by McG, best known for the 2000s Charlie’s Angels movies.

Sunrise On The Reaping (Suzanne Collins)

After the success of the first Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, both as a novel in 2020 and movie in 2023, Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate aren’t done with Panem yet. A followup novel called Sunrise on the Reaping tells telling the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy’s Hunger Games was announced at the same time as the movie , less The cast that has been announced for the production is already making fans’ dreams come true and rumor has it the movie might be bringing back some of the actors from the original movies.

Dune Messiah (Frank Herbert)

After Denis Villeneuve adapted the first Dune book across two films to massive success, he has continued the saga with book 2, Dune Messiah. The sci-fi sequel continues the story of Paul Atreides 12 years after his rise to power. He’s emperor, but the weight of the war he has caused begins to weigh on him. Dune is coming out the same day as Avengers: Doomsday, making for a big weekend at the movies. You can check out a first look over on YouTube.

Harry Potter & The Sorceror’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)

Somehow, it’s been fifteen years since the Harry Potter movies ended, and it’s been decided it’s time to pass the wand to a new generation! HBO has made a Harry Potter TV show, which will start the story from the beginning with a brand new cast of actors in the roles. Season 1 covers the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and is named as such. You can check out the first teaser ahead of the series premiering this Christmas!

The Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi)

In January 2025, it was announced that Paramount is adapting Tomi Adeyemi’s beloved YA novel, The Children of Blood and Bone, and the cast is stacked. Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Chiwetel Ejifor and Amandla Stenberg are among the stars in the fantasy film that blends West African mythology and the Yoruba culture with fantastical elements inspired by the likes of Harry Potter. The director of The Old Guard and The Woman King, Gina Prince-Bythewood is the writer/director behind the adaptation.

Remain (Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shymalan)

In an unlikely pairing, thriller filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and romance author Nicholas Sparks, have collaborated on Remain. The book sees a New York architect, Tate, venturing to Cape Cod to get a fresh start in life after being in a psychiatric facility for acute depression following the loss of his sister. She had a revelation to Tate on her deathbed: the ability to see spirits still tethered to the living world runs in their family. When Tate strikes up a connection with a woman named Wren in his new dwelling, he’s challenged to face his family secret.

The Magician’s Nephew (C.S. Lewis)

After Greta Gerwig brought back Barbie in a big way with 2023’s smash hit, her next passion project is adapting the Narnia books for Netflix. She’s reportedly starting with one of the installments from C.S. Lewis’s series that has never become a movie before, The Magician’s Nephew. While it’s technically the sixth Narnia book that was published, it’s often thought of as the first in the series due to the timeline it's set in, and how it explains the origins of many of the world’s characters and elements. Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan and Emma Mackey lead the movie’s cast.

The Nightingale (Kristen Hannah)

We’ve been hearing for years about the Fanning sisters wanting to collaborate on the adaptation for Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, with THR originally announcing the project in 2019. It was finally made official with a release per a Deadline report in July 2025, and started production in late March, per an Instagram post from the author. It’s about two sisters being separated in France during World War II and having their own epic journeys in order to survive.

The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty)

The horror phenomenon is coming back to haunt us (again), thanks to writer/director Mike Flanagan. The Exorcist started as a 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, allegedly based on true events of a child’s demonic possession in the 1940s. Blatty wrote the screenplay for the iconic 1973 movie based on his book, which follows a mother grappling with her 12-year-old daughter Regan’s possession. The upcoming take on The Exorcist will star Scarlett Johansson, Diane Lane, Jacobi Jupe, Chiwetel Ejifor, Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle and many more. Flanagan has proved to be incredibly capable of delivering us with solid adaptations of horror stories, so even though this is a remake, we expect this to enlighten us in ways we’ve yet to see on film.

The Housemaid’s Secret

After Freida McFadden’s bestselling mystery The Housemaid became a commercial success, Lionsgate is already getting going on the sequel called The Housemaid’s Secret. The movie will once again star Sydney Sweeney as Millie, the housemaid and convicted felon, but this time Kristen Dunst will star as her new client. The source material follows Millie as she works for another wealthy couple, the Garricks, which once again have an abusive relationship that Millie uncovers behind the scenes while working for them.

The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer)

Marissa Meyer’s bestselling YA fantasy series The Lunar Chronicles is getting an exciting animated adaptation from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation, per Deadline. Each one of The Lunar Chronicles are science fiction twists of classic fairytales for Cinderella in Cinder, Little Red Riding Hood for Scarlet, Rapunzel for Cress and Snow White for Fairest. There are not enough adaptations that get the animation treatment, so we’re especially hyped for this one.

Upcoming Book Adaptations Without A Release Date

• All The Sinners Bleed TV show (by S.A. Cosby)
• Beach Read movie (by Emily Henry)
• The Bell Jar movie (by Sylvia Plath)
• Book Lovers movie (by Emily Henry)
• Bridgerton Season 5 based on When He Was Wicked (by Julia Quinn)
• The Chain TV show (by Adrian McKinty)
• A Court Of Thorns And Roses TV show (by Sarah J. Mass)
• The Dark Tower TV show (by Stephen King)
• Dungeon Crawler Carl TV show (by Matt Dinniman)
• Fairy Tale TV show (by Stephen King)
• Fourth Wing TV show (by Rebecca Yarros)
• Funny Story movie (by Emily Henry)
• Heated Rivalry Season 2 (by Rachel Reid)
• The Midnight Library movie (by Matt Haig)
• The Mist movie (by Stephen King)
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow movie (by Gabrielle Zevin)
• The Love Hypothesis movie (by Ali Hazelwood)
• The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo movie (by Taylor Jenkins Reid)
• Recursion movie and TV series (by Blake Crouch)

Anyone else ready to head to the library and the bookstore to get caught up on these? There are so many upcoming book-to-screen adaptations on the way, and following along with what's next via your reading list is a great way to enjoy these movies and TV shows even more!

With more streaming services around than ever, we're not going to lie, keeping track of the best TV shows has become a lot messier. Clearly switching between channels on weeknights to get into your next favorite show were simpler times. But all the while, it was an incredible year for long form storytelling across the 2022 TV schedule on just about all of the platforms you could turn on, especially when it comes to new shows from this year.

2022 will be remembered as a huge year for fantasy and science fiction series transporting us to new, yet often familiar realms in big ways. It was an especially clever year for comedy, and err… finding the comedy in ridiculous and tense places. The beauty of this moment for television where streaming hails above all, it’s still right there for you. You can catch up and binge them whenever you want. The reruns are easily accessible and fresher than ever. In the spirit of that, here are our favorites new TV shows of 2022 to either look back on or get added to your queues. 

Severance 

Many of us surely spend our time wondering how to better achieve work-life balance as our 9-to-5s inevitably bleed into our personal lives, or vice versa. Severance takes that question to the edge with its science fiction concept about a biotech company that implements a medical procedure for employees to separate their work and non-work memories. It’s received a nomination from just about every 2022 Emmys category you could be recognized for. Ahead of Season 2, there’s no better time to binge this ambitious and highly-entertaining debut. 

Where to stream Severance: Apple TV+

Andor

There’s been no lack of Star Wars since Disney bought the rights of Lucasfilm, yet somehow Andor has become a gem among the galaxy far, far away’s canon. Reintroducing Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor five years before the events of Rogue One, the Disney+ series takes a blockbuster setting and tells a grounded story across the Star Wars universe that may very well go down in history as among the franchise’s best chapters of this overpacked era.

Where to stream Andor: Disney+

Heartstopper

Heartstopper is a rare romantic comedy that had us pausing dead in our tracks. Based on Alice Oseman’s web comic and graphic novel series of the same name, Season 1 tells the earnest and human love story between two British teen boys who fall in love. The LGBTQ+ inclusive Netflix series beautifully takes its time to develop the dimensions of Nick and Charlie’s romance in a wholesome, comforting and heartfelt way. Thankfully, Netflix has renewed it for two more seasons as well! 

Where to stream Heartstopper: Netflix

Abbott Elementary

Admittedly, Abbott Elementary premiered right at the end of 2021, but it's essentially become 2022’s breakout sitcom. Somewhat following in the footsteps of half-hour network hits like The Office and Parks and Recreation, Quinta Brunson’s ABC series is a workplace comedy about a group of public school teachers dealing with daily hurdles of being underfunded and under appreciated for teacher the next generation. The Emmy-winning series is jam-packed with fun characters and takes some well-earned shots at America’s flawed education system. 

Where to stream Abbott Elementary: Hulu

The Rehearsal

After five years away from the Comedy Central series Nathan For You, which captivated audiences with his clever docu-reality comedy, Nathan Fielder returned this year with a brand new HBO series. Taking his previous concept another level, The Rehearsal features Fielder helping ordinary people rehearse difficult conversations or life events (like motherhood) by going to crazy lengths to recreate real situations with sets, actors and dialogue trees. Once again, Fielder’s concepts walk a fine line between ridiculously stupid and actually kind-of genius that is just too fun to not look away from. 

Where to stream The Rehearsal: HBO Max 

The Sandman

Neil Gaiman’s work has been enchanting readers for decades, but this year Netflix's The Sandman finally captured the source material of his beloved The Sandman comic series that was often thought of as unadaptable, whilst bringing something wholly unique to TV. While Season 1 was sometimes bogged down by so many concepts, watching Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus navigate this imaginative version of reality is a whimsical and dreary place we’re excited to come back to, hopefully for many years to come following its Season 2 renewal. 

Where to stream The Sandman: Netflix

Interview With The Vampire 

Another beloved piece of literature that has long been shelved is Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. The new AMC series starring Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson and Aussie actor Sam Reid reinvigorates a gothic classic with an impressive blend of tones that move from a comical place to one of brutal horror, lustful sensuality and an apt discussion of race relations. Vampires are back and we’ll gladly answer their call for blood. 

Where to stream Interview with the Vampire: AMC+

Mo

It’s not every year that we get to see a TV show debut as vulnerable and funny as Netflix’s Mo. The series created by comedian Mo Amer, Ramy’s Ramy Youssef and produced by A24, is a semi-autobiographical story of a Palestinean-American Texan who is dealing with numerous struggles in his life. He has an addiction, a rocky relationship with his Mexican-American partner and is in between jobs all as he and his family go through hoops to finally gain American citizenship. Mo’s push and pull between big laughs and drama come from a genuine place and we hope to see more of Mo’s story unfold in future seasons. 

Where to stream Mo: Netflix

The Bear

Many of us also couldn’t get enough of Hulu’s new series The Bear and its breakout star Jeremy Allen White in 2022. The dramedy follows a fine dining chef who goes back to his home of Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after a loss. As he navigates a tough adjustment, he finds belonging in the ragtag kitchen he works to improve. The series opts for a stressful tone, likened to Uncut Gems, and expertly intentional filmmaking that make it an especially memorable new series of 2022. 

Where to stream The Bear: Hulu

House Of The Dragon 

Brimming with chaos between an onslaught of time jumps and death scenes made for a bumpy return to Westeros, but come on, admit it, you kind of missed it, didn’t you? House of the Dragon boldly reclaimed that Game of Thrones still very much deserves a place on television with the story of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her complicated early life as the female heir to Westeros. Faced with betrayal, scandal, war and raw passion, House of the Dragon is a distinct new Game of Thrones series that gives us a new hope for the franchise ahead. 

Where to stream House of the Dragon: HBO Max

That's a lot of awesome television to get to! Once you've caught up on 2022's best new TV shows, check out the 2023 TV schedule to remain up-to-date on what's up next. 

Spoilers ahead for the Season 1 finale of Interview with a Vampire.

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire has been entertaining audiences for decades. The story of Louis and Lestat was first told on the page, before being adapted into a 1994 movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Now it’s been adapted into a show on AMC, which recently wrapped up its first reasons. And we know exactly why the Season 1 ending didn’t go out with the most obvious cliffhanger ever.

In the Season 1 finale of Interview with the Vampire titled "The Thing Lay Still”, Louis and Claudia enact their plan to finally kill Lestat and be rid of him forever. It all goes without a hitch, although they don’t finish the job and instead leave his body for the dump. But it’s soon revealed that he’s still alive, feasting on rats to regain his strength. Lestat actor Sam Reid spoke to Variety about why this confirmation of his survival was included, saying:

Some serious points were made. As previously mentioned, plenty of people already know the bloody story of Interview with the Vampire, especially since the movie adaptation didn’t come that long ago. And as such, it probably would have been a lame cliffhanger if the show didn’t confirm that Lestat survived. Because it would only have been affected by the viewers who were experiencing the iconic story for the first time via the AMC series.

Indeed, plenty of folks have read/watched Interview with the Vampire over the years, which might be partly why so many people are tuned into the new TV adaptation. But the Season 1 finale did feature a few choice differences, including having Louis be the one to slit Lestat’s throat, rather than Claudia (played in the movie by Kirsten Dunst). And smart money says there’s going to be more surprises in the upcoming second season.

AMC’s Interview with the Vampire series was created for television by Rolin Jones, who previously worked on shows like Weeds and Boardwalk Empire. He also spoke to Variety about the new show’s bloody season finale, teasing what’s coming next in Part 2. As Jones put it, 

Well, that’s certainly exciting. It looks like even the most hardcore Interview with the Vampire fans might be surprised by the the show when it returns to AMC for Season 2. The last episode definitely contained some twists, including the reveal that Assad Zaman’s character is actually the ancient vampire Armond. We’ll just have to wait and see what else Rolin Jones and company have up their sleeves for the sophomore effort of the vampirical drama. 

The entire first Interview with the Vampire is currently available on AMC, with the network also expanding more Anne Rice-inspired projects with Mayfair Witches starring Alexandra Daddario. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. We’ll need something without new episodes of Interview with the Vampire next Sunday. 

Warning! SPOILERS AHEAD for the Interview With The Vampire Season 1 finale! Retire to your coffin until you can catch up!

AMC’s Interview with the Vampire came to a close on Sunday night after delivering a different take on Anne Rice’s classic tale of the beautiful undead. While many viewers seemed to enjoy the series, which is the first in what is hoped to be several stories set within the world Rice created for her many horror novels, there’s no denying that this twisted story of romance, obsession, and familial love came down to one of the most tense hours of television, which was filled with even more brutal kills than we were used to seeing in one of its episodes. Now, the stars and creator have spoken about why that big finale double cross had to happen that way.

What Did Interview With The Vampire’s Stars And Creator Have To Say About The Finale’s Big Double Cross?

The previous two episodes of the long-awaited reimagining did a great job of leading us to (yet another) big breaking point for our vamp fam of Louis (Jacob Anderson), Lestat (Sam Reid), and Claudia (Bailey Bass). After Lestat showed just how cruel he could be to the man he supposedly loved so much, Claudia (in particular) and Louis (way less so) had had enough, and wanted to get out from under the powerful, toxic thumb of their maker. Baby vamp Claudia was resolute in her decision that killing Lestat was the only way forward for her and Louis, and the finale saw her devise an ingenious plan that kept fans guessing about just how it might work. 

In the end, they definitely got the upper hand, and Louis dealt his lover a brutal blow when he slit his throat and let him bleed out, nearly finishing Lestat for good (but letting him live). Now, stars Anderson and Reid, and creator Rolin Jones, have talked about why the big moment had to go down that way with Variety, and said:

Jones: For Lestat, his love language is murder. So who else should it be than [Louis]? 

Anderson: To kill him would be to kill a part of himself, and a significant part of who he has become. 

Reid: I think he accepts that Louis is going to kill him, and understands, very much in that last moment, that he needs to do this. Where he is right now is a very dark, fucked-up place, and you sort of need this iteration of him to die...It would be sort of a boring cliffhanger to leave the show on, because you know Lestat is coming back.

While Rice’s original novel had Claudia ruling over the entire plan to defeat Lestat from beginning to bloody end, the show changed the narrative by having Louis take the (semi) final stand against his maker and long-time coffin mate. As Jones noted, their early days as a couple certainly showed that Lestat delighted in sharing meals (humans) with Louis and then cleaning up after dinner together (incinerating bodies), so to have anyone other than the younger vamp do the deed wouldn’t feel right.

On top of that, as the former Game of Thrones star said, it makes sense that Louis, despite the savage way in which Lestat hurt him physically, wouldn’t quite be able to pull the trigger on completely killing his immortal boyfriend. Even with all of the things Louis lost because of Lestat’s dark gift (his mortal family, for instance) he also gained some things, and by the time Claudia felt the need to devise this double cross, the two older vampires were too intrinsically linked for Louis to not feel like killing Lestat would be akin to killing a huge part of himself.

As Reid said, his character made no move to stop Louis once he realized he’d been bested. But, my money is on the cunning Frenchman doubting that the much younger Louis would be able to burn him alive or otherwise finish the deed, maybe in the hope that Louis’ actions would finally break the hold they both had on each other going forward. 

We don’t know yet just how much we’ll see of Lestat when the already renewed Interview with the Vampire returns for Season 2, but I’m sure the drama will continue to be one intriguing ride week after week.

Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD for all currently released Interview with the Vampire episodes! Take to your coffin until the sun sets and you’ve completely caught up with the new show!

Author Anne Rice wrote a number of thrilling supernatural novels before she died in late 2021, and with several of them focusing on the story of Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac, it makes sense that there have been continued efforts to bring their relationship back to the screen. Now, fans of her books have more than the popular 1994 film, Interview with the Vampire, to enjoy, as a series of the same name has hit AMC and offered up a different take on the tale.

While it’s unlikely that most vampire stories are devoid of violence, and the film adaptation of the writer’s work certainly displayed the bloody nature of a vamp’s life, the dark new television show has taken things to new heights in the episodes which have debuted so far. If you’re interested to know more about the horrifying acts committed by the lovers (and, soon, their immortal sorta daughter, Claudia) then look no further than this list of the most brutal Interview with the Vampire kills so far. We’ll be updating the entries accordingly, so be sure to bookmark this article to see if our opinions match up. Now, let’s get to it!

Episode 1 - That Poor Priest

Oh, boy. I cannot pretend that I wasn’t completely shocked by this kill, as while there were others during the course of the 1910-set events of the premiere episode, they were either simply referred to or not so overly bloody that the show seemed to be on track to compete with its network mate, The Walking Dead.

It was near the end of the episode, after Louis (Game of Thrones star Jacob Anderson) had submitted to Lestat’s (Sam Reid) seduction and the much older vamp has (I believe, anyway) led Louis’ beloved and troubled brother to commit suicide, that we get a truly brutal death that the camera doesn’t flinch from one bit. As Louis is attempting to thwart Lestat’s mental pull, he goes into his church to confess his sins. It’s then that the powerful vampire pulls his priest from the confession booth and drains him. That’s bad enough, but Louis is then forced to watch as another priest comes upon the scene and tries to escape, only for Lestat to use his telekinetic powers to lock the man in. He then catches up to him… and punches his head clean through, leaving only the outline of his skull behind.

Episode 2 - The Opera Singer

Sometimes, in stories where characters who do villainous things are basically the heroes of the story, we find that those characters have strict rules about who they will or won’t kill and how, which is generally a way to make their actions somewhat easier to handle for us mere mortals trying to do the right thing in life. Well, it turns out that Lestat has a bit of a code, which is that if someone pisses him off by not appreciating the beauty of the arts, they are automatically at dire risk.

During the second episode, Lestat treats Louis to a night at the opera, where the French immortal is thoroughly taken with the performance of the musicians and the diva on stage. Everything is going well until her male counterpart enters the scene, and hits several bad notes that even a person with only a passing knowledge of music would notice. Lestat makes a point to speak to the singer later, eventually inviting him back to his home so that they can sing the piece together. When it becomes clear that he’s no more capable of performing than he was when on stage, Lestat doesn’t simply drain him dry, but paralyzes him (again using his powers) so he can’t leave, and so that he and Louis can slowly drink from him as he dies a prolonged, agonizing, and likely confusing death through the night.

Episode 3 - Alderman Fenwick

Look, I’m far from bloodthirsty when it comes to wanting bad characters to be punished for their misdeeds. But, after watching Louis struggle in the early 1900s to maintain his successful businesses amid the racism from white entrepreneurs and local politicians, I was actually glad to see this kill. Though Alderman Fenwick had been a consistent patron of Louis’ brothel/saloon, by 1917 the pressure was on to shut him down so that businesses owned by white men could thrive, and the alderman is already pissed that Louis wouldn’t go into business with him earlier.

After Fenwick offers to buy his saloon for a ridiculously low price, Louis puts a “no whites allowed” sign on his club, which only leads to even more retaliation from the cops and lawmakers. Louis has now had enough. He sneaks into Fenwick’s home while the man’s family is away and gets angrier and angrier as the alderman taunts him. After doing just enough physical damage and showing just enough of his powers so that the racist knows he’s not up against a regular man, the next morning finds Fenwick eviscerated and hanging from the gate of St. Louis Cathedral with a “whites only” sign pinned to his bloody corpse.

Episode 4 - Oh, Charlie

The fourth episode offered up a doozy of a story with a definite horror comedy bent as we got to watch the highlights of Claudia’s first years as a vampire, which perfectly set up a devastating moment near the end, especially for anyone who thought her burgeoning romance with young Charlie would have some sort of happy ending.

After a bit of courting, the two have a make-out session near the stables in Charlie’s carriage. While kissing, Claudia gets carried away and bites her new boyfriend, only to quickly realize that instead of just taking a taste of his life force, she seems to have drained him. When she carries him home to beg Lestat to turn him, he callously (and with a devious smile on his face) informs her that she “didn’t half kill him, you killed him completely.” This leads to Claudia being forced to watch Charlie burn in their incinerator, with us being teased that her guilt over his death will lead to some dire consequences for our vamp trio.

Well, it’s pretty clear that this show is going to continue to set itself apart from the movie that so many fans know, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Interview with the Vampire airs on AMC, Sundays at 10 p.m. EST and can be streamed with an AMC+ subscription.

Did you hear that? It’s the sound of vampires returning to pop culture prominence after their long slumber. 

As someone who grew up with the Twilight movies (but somehow has never seen them), I knew how big vampires were years ago, with those movies, and the non-Arrowverse CW series, The Vampire Diaries, having big audiences. For some time, though, it's felt as if the vampire genre was played out - until 2022. There’s Showtime's Let The Right One In coming out soon, and now, October will also bring us Interview with the Vampire on AMC. 

What exactly is this adaptation of the famous Anne Rice novel going to be about? How many episodes is this series going to have? And, who is going to star? For answers to several of the inquiries you could imagine about the latest vampire series, here are six quick things we know about Interview with the Vampire. 

Interview With The Vampire Will Be Released On October 2 After Walking Dead

Keep an eye out for this series to appear on the 2022 TV schedule soon, because our fall is going to look a whole lot spookier. Interview with the Vampire is set to come out on October 2, 2022. 

This premiere will happen at 10 p.m. ET, right after The Walking Dead premieres the first of its last eight episodes. However, if you happen to be a subscriber to AMC+, you’ll be able to view the first two episodes on the platform, as well as view each new episode a week in advance. You’ll be able to fill all your vampire needs, no problem. 

The Series Will Have Seven Episodes

If you thought that this series was going to end up being super long, you were mistaken. According to Deadline, the drama will only have seven episodes, unfortunately. To be honest, I’m alright with a show's season being short, as long as the story is told well, and I have faith that Interview with the Vampire will be good. 

Interview With The Vampire Will Star Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, And More

Another famous adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, which released in 1994, is one that starred Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Kirsten Dunst, so that casting, to many fans, is already hard to beat. However, the AMC version of Interview with the Vampire has plenty of names that you might recognize, who will surely bring some serious talent to the table. 

According to the Deadline article from before, Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, and Bailey Bass are set to star as the main characters of this vampire story, with Anderson playing Louis de Pointe du Lac, and Reid playing Lestat de Lioncourt. Bass, who is a newcomer to Hollywood, will be playing Claudia. 

Anderson has already made his name on TV by portraying Greyworm as a part of the Game of Thrones cast, so it’s exciting to see him come back to the world of television - this time as a vampire instead of a warrior. Reid is known for roles in movies like Belle, The Railway Man, and Anonymous, among others, but now, he’s stepping into the world of vampires.

In other casting news, according to Variety, Eric Bogosian is cast as Daniel Molloy, said vampire interviewer. In the film version, Daniel was portrayed by Christian Slater. 

Another piece of casting is also from Variety, saying that Christian Robinson, known for roles in shows such as Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Tell Me A Story, will play a recurring role aa Levi, the man whom Louis’ sister, Grace (Kalyne Coleman) has a romantic interest in.

The Series Will Be A “Contemporary Reinvention”

In a statement that was released by AMC with the announcement of the show, it was said that Interview with the Vampire is set to be a “contemporary reinvention” of the famous Anne Rice novel. The series will follow the life of Louis, a young black man who lived in New Orleans during the early 1900s, and ends up becoming a vampire when Lestat de Lioncourt offers it to him as a way of escaping the world. However, life as a blood-feeding vampire isn’t as simple as it looks, and every risk has its heartbreaks. 

From the trailers we have seen of the series, it looks as if the show is going to bounce back between the present and the past, but no matter what, we’re still going to get the same gory, bloody love story that Anne Rice originally delivered to us. Because the author recently passed away, in 2021, this sounds like it’ll be a great way to enjoy of her most famous pieces of work. 

Breaking Bad Producer Mark Johnson Is Working As An Executive Producer 

AMC has been coming out with some amazing shows for a long time, and one of the biggest, arguably, was Breaking Bad, which had a stellar cast, amazing acting performances, and a story that captured you from beginning to end. Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and plenty of others won many awards for their roles. 

This success led to two spinoffs - a prequel series, Better Call Saul, that just ended in 2022, and a movie featuring the story of Jesse after the Breaking Bad finale, El Camino. One of the producers of all three shows, Mark Johnson, has signed on to work as an executive producer for Interview with the Vampire. 

This is huge news. Not only is Johnson basically AMC royalty at this point with his success in the Breaking Bad universe, but he has worked on many other famous productions, including the movies Rain Man, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, The Little Things, and more. 

During San Diego Comic-Con 2022 (via the earlier Deadline article), there was a panel for the show, and Mark Johnson said that the reason he ended up working on a show like this was because he enjoys the books and wanted to bring Anne Rice’s stories to life on AMC: 

This is such exciting news, because if Interview with the Vampire goes over well, who knows how many more Anne Rice adaptations we might get on AMC. Already, another Anne Rice series, Lives of the Mayfair Witches, was announced back in 2021 to be getting a TV show. Could we get a Queen of the Damned series? Only time will tell. 

You Can Watch The Trailer For Interview With The Vampire

Luckily, if you haven’t seen the trailer yet for Interview with the Vampire, you can check it out down below: 

I, for one, can’t wait until the spooky season comes back around, and this show is one of the first things I’m going to watch in order to get myself ready for Halloween and fall in general. With vampires, love, betrayal, and more, there’s nothing else you could possibly want. Bring on Interview with the Vampire and all the feelings I will feel. 

Adapting a long-beloved written work for TV is likely never an easy task for writers and producers, and one can imagine the complications only grow more numerous when such small screen projects have been preceded by well-received feature films. Such is the case with AMC’s episodic spin on Anne Rice’s seminal bloodsucking tale Interview with the Vampire, which was famously brought to the big screen in 1994, with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the roles of Lestat and Louis. The Newsreader’s Sam Reid and Game of Thrones vet Jacob Anderson will be filling those roles respectively for television, and they have both addressed their thoughts about taking on such iconic roles, and why AMC’s show won’t just be a rehashing.

Despite various hiccups keeping it from moving forward in years past, Interview with the Vampire is now fully destined to reach audiences upon its debut for streaming (AMC+) and linear TV (AMC) on October 2. And while the cast and crew no doubt are expecting to face tons of comparisons to Neil Jordan’s film, even beyond what they’re already heard, they respectfully pointed out during the series’ Television Critics Association summer tour panel how it will be a more expansive take on the source material than the film ever could have been. After younger co-star Bailey Bass pointed out she wasn’t even born when Kirsten Dunst first earned the role of Claudia, Sam Reid reflected on his own fandom (and age) when explaining arguably the biggest inherent difference between the two projects, saying:

Though it might not be something potential viewers immediately consider without it being pointed out, the 1994 film was released after only four books within Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series had been published, with another nine novels following 1992’s The Tale of the Body Thief. (As well as the two New Tales of the Vampires books.) As such, star Sam Reid, showrunner Rolin Jones and the rest of the creative team had a far bigger wealth of material from which to dig into as a way of informing who the character of Lestat is within the world of Interview with the Vampire.

Which isn’t to say Reid believes that means his take on Lestat is going to completely dwarf one of Tom Cruise’s most atypical roles. He continued:

I’m not sure Tom Cruise could even recreate what Tom Cruise did with that role at the time, so godspeed to Sam Reid and his well-rounded approach to the somewhat eternal vampire. For those who most enjoyed the underlying homoeroticism between Cruise and Pitt’s characters, the cast also revealed viewers can expect a more direct take on those vibes with the TV show.

Embrace the ability to choose between versions, rather than arguing over which one is better. Since that argument likely isn’t going to be successful at persuading people to knock it off, let’s roadblock those thoughts with the first trailer for Interview with the Vampire.

Interview with the Vampire will fly into viewers’ homes (only after being invited) on Sunday, October 2, at 10:00 p.m. ET, an hour after The Walking Dead kicks off its final eight-episode run. While waiting for vampires and zombies (and even Rice’s Mayfair Witches) to run amok, head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are on the way.

The career of Kirsten Dunst never ceases to both amaze and intimidate me. Just when I think I’m having a productive day, my Dunst-centric intrusive thoughts come knocking on my brain’s door with the outrageous fact that she held her own acting opposite both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise when she landed the role in Interview with a Vampire at a mere 10 years old. 

Dunst is currently under 40 years old and has a resume of works spanning the last 30 years that are so impressive that it’s tough pinpoint just which performances are her best - but we’re sure going to try! We’ve put together a list of 10 of the best Kirsten Dunst movies and TV shows from the powerhouse actress and how you can watch them streaming.

Honorable Mention: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

When most people think of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, they go straight to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet erasing each other from their memories. The film dives into the idea that people can just delete their memories, and the consequences of losing our own thoughts.

While Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are certainly the main characters and put on a stellar performance, Kirsten Dunst just has a small part in the film. Although she’s but a small part of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, her role adds quite a bit to the message of the film, and the movie is worth a rewatch for her supporting performance alone.

Stream Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Starz.
Rent/Buy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind digitally on Amazon.
Buy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Interview with the Vampire was one of the first film adaptations of an Anne Rice novel, and it remains a classic today. Kirsten Dunst starred opposite both a young Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the film, and the three make up a vampire family of sorts living in Louisiana in the 1700s. The film follows the head of the family, Cruise's Lestat, and how he came to both create and lose the other two vampires.

Dunst plays the cold and detached child vampire, Claudia. Since she can’t age, her maturity far surpasses her child body, and Kristen Dunst does a phenomenal job capturing the dismal existence an adult would have, forever trapped in the body of a child. It’s absolutely insane to think of a real life 10 year old playing a 65(ish)-year-old vampire, and it’s an impressive feat by Dunst. 

Rent/Buy Interview with the Vampire digitally on Amazon.
Buy Interview with the Vampire on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Jumanji (1995)

Another film that showcases just what kind of films Kirsten Dunst was pushing out when she was a mere pre-teen, Jumanji remains a vital movie in pretty much any collection and is a source of nostalgia for more than just one generation. Dunst's character and her on-screen brother find a mysterious board game that comes to life when they play it. Naturally, chaos ensues. 

Kristen Dunst was filming Jumanji around the time of Little Women (opposite Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder), and this classic children’s film is another in which Dunst played opposite an absolute icon: Robin Williams. Dunst, again, does a phenomenal job of acting out a very outlandish fantasy world and leaves other child actors in the dust with her skills, the film is a must-see for Williams, as well.

Rent/Buy Jumanji digitally on Amazon.
Buy Jumanji on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

On Becoming A God In Central Florida (2019)

Kirsten Dunst doesn’t star in many series, but when she does, she really brings it. On Becoming God in Central Florida is a dark comedy that explores the toxicity of pyramid schemes in the early ‘90s, and Dunst’s character pretty much has her life wrapped up in one. Refusing to be poor ever again, she takes matters into her own hands after her husband (played by Alexander Skarsgård) is eaten by an alligator. 

On Becoming a God in Central Florida is hilarious and keeps viewers on their toes pretty much throughout the entirety of the series. Kirsten Dunst is amazing, and we see a very different side of her in this ‘90s era show, compared to where she was in her career during the same time period in real life, and I’m all about it. 

Stream On Becoming a God in Central Florida on Showtime.
Buy On Becoming a God in Central Florida digitally on Amazon.
Buy On Becoming a God in Central Florida on DVD on Amazon.

Bring It On (2000)

This list would not be complete if Bring It On wasn’t on it. It, like many of Kirsten Dunst’s other works, has achieved cult status, and I can still recite an alarming number of lines from the cheerleading film over 20 years later. The film centers on a two rival cheer squads as they head to a huge competition, and their new cheer captains as they navigate the rivalry.

Not only is Kirsten Dunst’s performance Grade-A in Bring It On, but also those of her many co-stars. This film made Gabrielle Union and Eliza Dushku my heroes and lady crushes pretty much for life. There are so many iconic scenes in this film, I can’t even begin to count. It’s both a must-see and a must-revisit.

Buy Bring It On on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Yet another cult classic on the resume of the great Kirsten Dunst, Drop Dead Gorgeous centers on a beauty pageant where contestants are murdered to make the way clear for the killer to nab the crown. It’s a dark comedy thriller that everybody has to see at least once.

Kirsten Dunst is acting opposite Kirstie Alley, who is fantastic in the film, and stars like Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams. Drop Dead Gorgeous had a slew of other recognizable faces as well, and is just an all-around good time to watch, even decades later. Dunst puts on a southern bell accent and kills it in a role that kind of feels like a natural pre-cursor to Bring It On. 

Buy Drop Dead Gorgeous on DVD on Amazon.

Fargo (2015)

Inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, Fargo is an anthology style series that introduces new characters set in a midwest town as they get involved with crime and murder investigations that end up being connected. 

Fargo is a two-fold recommendation, because both fans of Kirsten Dunst and fans of the OG film will love one of the best FX series. The series definitely stands up to the original and does it justice, with great performances from the whole cast. Dunst appeared in the second season of Fargo, and received some major acclaim for the role, including being nominated for an Emmy.

Stream Fargo on Hulu.
Buy Fargo digitally on Amazon.
Buy Fargo Season 2 on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Power Of The Dog (2021)

The Power of the Dog is both a western and psychological drama led by Benedict Cumberbatch, whose character is a harsh rancher whose heart softens after getting to know his brother's new family. While there have been choice words for the film from fellow western actor Sam Elliott, it's gotten some massive praise and currently has a rating of over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

With how fantastic an actress Kirsten Dunst has pretty much always been, she just keeps getting better. The Power of the Dog is her most recently released film and it marks her very first Oscar nomination (very hard to believe she’s never been nominated before, I know). While she didn't win the award, her performance definitely deserved her finally being recognized for her acting chops.

Stream The Power of the Dog on Netflix.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Marie Antoinette is basically a biopic of the titular French queen, but it’s also so much more than that. With gorgeous cinematography and a soundtrack with songs from bands like The Strokes and The Cure, Marie Antoinette breaks away from your typical historical drama. The film has a number of less than great reviews, but you don’t have to look further than Netflix’s Bridgerton to see how a sexy, modernized period drama can appeal to the masses and create something pretty special. 

This film is absolutely a stand-out film for Kirsten Dunst, even though she has many widely known titles in her movie credits. Dunst has worked with director Sofia Coppola a number of times, Marie Antoinette being an underrated film for both Hollywood powerhouses. Dunst’s performance in the film was iconic, even if she did say she was uncomfortable filming the steamy scenes.

Rent/Buy Marie Antoinette digitally on Amazon.
Buy Marie Antoinette on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Melancholia (2011)

Another film with some absolutely beautiful cinematography, Melancholia tells the story of two sisters as the world is about to come to a crashing end when a planet collides with Earth. The film explores mental illness and how one may react to such a dire situation, as Kirsten Dunst’s character suffers from depression. She is getting married despite impending doom, and the series of events that unfold during the big day lead her into another depressive episode.

Melancholia is not a feel-good film, but it is a reflective and thoughtful one. Dunst does a great job of portraying the extremes that mental illness and depression can reach, once again accomplishing an impressive feat.

Stream Melancholia on Roku.
Buy/Rent Melancholia digitally on Amazon.
Buy Melancholia on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

The Virgin Suicides centers on a family of five mysterious sisters who have very strict, overbearing parents and the group of four boys who become enamored with them. The film specifically focuses on Kirsten Dunst’s character, as the storyteller is the older version of the boy who is pining for her. She's more strong willed than her sisters, and tries to break free from their parents’ domineering ways.

The Virgin Suicides is the first film that Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst worked together on, and it is probably the most renowned of their team-ups. It is another Dunst film that has some interesting and striking visuals, and I honestly can't get enough of how at home Dunst is in low-key artsy films. It's a throwback well worth a watch.

Stream The Virgin Suicides on Paramount+.
Stream The Virgin Suicides on Amazon Prime.
Buy The Virgin Suicides on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Spider-Man Franchise (2002 - 2007)

Did you really think we weren’t going to get to the whopper that is the Spider-Man franchise? The three-film franchise with Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero is pretty vital, no matter who your favorite Spidey is. While it’s a real shame we didn’t get to see Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane come back through the Multiverse like we did with Maguire, rewatching the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films and revisiting that iconic upside down kiss is the next best thing. 

While the Spider-Man films may be a step away from what we typically see Kirsten Dunst in, she completely rocked the comic book character Mary Jane Watson, and she is the face of the character for a whole generation. It’s not a role that will be forgotten anytime soon. Unfortunately, you can’t watch the Kirsten Dunst/Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films streaming at the moment, but you can buy or rent them all.

Buy The Spider-Man Trilogy digitally on Amazon.
Buy The Spider-Man Trilogy on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

It’s hard to believe that Kristen Dunst could still very much have a number of decades of work in her future when she has already given her skills to so many films that are now considered classics. I think Dunst is an all-around underrated actress (just look at that Oscars bit from this year), especially since her face is so recognizable. While the actress has a hell of a future ahead of her if she stays in the Hollywood game, her past films are definitely worth a revisit.

When it comes to the '90s, there are so many iconic movies that I’m sure every single one of you has seen reading this article. But with these iconic movies comes iconic film roles, and these actresses were some of the best in the business. Here are several actresses with some truly iconic film roles in '90s movies. 

Kate Winslet (Titanic)

Considering Titanic was once the biggest film in the world, it’s not surprising the first pick here is Kate Winslet, who played Rose DeWitt Bukater. It’s certainly one of Winslet’s best films so far, and put her on the fast track to become the famous actor she is today.  

Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en)

While Gwyneth Paltrow known amazingly well now from her variety of film performances, her role of Tracy Mills in Se7en is certainly an iconic one, with her character playing an essential role throughout the story. It wasn’t that long after she would star in Shakespeare in Love and win an Academy Award for her acting. 

Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct)

Yes, this is Sharon Stone from that controversial scene in Basic Instinct. But no one can deny that her performance in this film was great, and she acted her butt off in this erotic thriller. Every single scene she was in, she stole the show.

Jodie Foster (The Silence Of The Lambs)

The '90s were filled to the brim with iconic horror films like The Silence of the Lambs, and was only the third film in history to win the Big Five at the Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor. Best Actress went to Jodie Foster for her amazing portrayal of Clarice Starling. 

Sandra Bullock (Speed)

While Sandra Bullock is currently busy in 2022 with her film, The Lost City, one of her first big roles ever was starring alongside Keanu Reeves in the action film, Speed, portraying Annie Porter, the main love interest of the film and a total badass. 

Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands)

This is definitely one of Winona Ryder’s best movies. Playing Kim Boggs in Edward Scissorhands, Ryder perfectly captured what true kindness is meant to look like, and her love story with Edward is one for the history books that anyone would adore to witness.  

Rachel Leigh Cook (She’s All That)

While the reboot, He’s All That, made plenty of references to the original film, She’s All That just can’t be beaten, and that includes Rachel Leigh Cook’s iconic performance as Laney Boggs. I mean, who could forget that memorable “Kiss Me” scene? It’s the epitome of teen movie makeovers. You have to love it. 

Meryl Streep (The Bridges Of Madison County)

Meryl Streep has been around for many years in the movie industry and has some amazing films under her belt. And while she did plenty of movies in the '90s, my personal favorite performance of hers was in The Bridges of Madison County, where she played Francesca Johnson, a married mother who has a steamy four-day love affair with a photojournalist. Her chemistry with Clint Eastwood is second to none. 

Meg Ryan (Sleepless In Seattle, You’ve Got Mail)

A legendary queen of romantic comedies, you could not stop Meg Ryan in the '90s. Not only was she in two iconic roles in romantic comedies, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, both of those films were alongside Tom Hanks and showed just how amazing their chemistry is. 

Demi Moore (Ghost)

That damn pottery scene has been recreated by so many people - I mean, even Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart recreated it! - but no one can quite beat Demi Moore's performance. She shined in her leading role of Molly Jensen alongside Patrick Swayze. I think all of us have wished at least once we were in her shoes. 

Sarah Michelle Gellar (I Know What You Did Last Summer)

While plenty of folks know Sarah Michelle Gellar for her portrayal of Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar starred in another horror hit that same year portraying Helen Shivers in I Know What You Did Last Summer, giving a masterclass in chase scenes in horror movies. 

Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act, Ghost)

Whoopi Goldberg is certainly an iconic name that I am sure you’ve heard of plenty of times before, and she had not one but two iconic roles in the '90s. To me, my favorite is her lead role in Sister Act, starring as Deloris Van Cartier and bringing some soul into religion, but I can’t not mention her Academy Award-nominated performance as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost. 

Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman)

It’s one of Julia Roberts' best movies. Pretty Woman has some pretty iconic scenes, but none of them could have been accomplished if not for the charming performance that Roberts delivered as Vivian. I’m pretty sure every time I’ve watched that movie, all I want is to be in that bathtub. That looks so damn nice.

Drew Barrymore (Scream) 

Drew Barrymore was only in the first twelve minutes of the first Scream movie, and yet her scene has become iconic in every sense of the word. You go up to a horror movie fan and ask “do you like scary movies?” and they’ll know exactly what film its from as well as what scene - and Drew Barrymore is the star of it. 

Neve Campbell (Scream)

Even if Drew Barrymore was the star of the first twelve minutes, it was Neve Campbell that became the star of the Scream franchise, reprising her role in every single new film since, showing just how badass she is as the ultimate final girl. 

Reese Witherspoon (Cruel Intentions)

Witherspoon has been in many movies and some great TV shows, but back in the '90s, she was still just starting out, and Cruel Intentions was a breakthrough role for her. She played Annette Hargrove, a young woman who was the target of the two main characters of the film. In this '90s movie, she showed just how talented she is at acting. 

Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)

Ugh, as if! Alicia Silverstone truly stole the screen when she played Cher in Clueless, a story about a teenage girl who ends up befriending a new student and decides to give her a makeover. I mean, those outfits alone are definitely iconic enough for her to be on this list.  

Laura Dern (Jurassic Park)

Raise your hand if you’re excited to see Laura Dern back in Jurassic World: Dominion. *Raises hand* Regardless, Laura Dern in the original Jurassic Park was freaking amazing, and Dr. Ellie Sattler was a badass that I looked up to, and I can’t wait to see what she’s been up to after all these years. 

Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You)

Ugh, 10 Things I Hate About You is one of my favorites, and it’s legit because of the chemistry that Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger have in this film. They are my all-time favorite romantic couple and Julia Stiles rocks it as Kat. 

Halle Berry (Jungle Fever)

While Halle Berry has been in plenty of badass roles over the last two decades, there was a time where she was just getting started in Hollywood. One of the first films that she had a supporting role in was Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, where she played Vivian. While she's gone on to play more prominent roles since then, it was one of the movies that broke her out onto the scene and paved the way for bigger things down the line, like X-Men and Monster’s Ball. 

Natalie Portman (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)

Padme Amidala, known as the Queen/Senator of Naboo and Anakin Skywalker's lover (later wife) was a Star Wars character that made her debut in 1999, and was a badass in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Natalie Portman portrayed the legendary Star Wars character for the prequel trilogy, and inspired young girls everywhere - but we don’t need to talk about how her character ends in Revenge of the Sith. 

Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction)

While my personal all-time favorite Uma Thurman performance is her role in Kill Bill, one of her biggest roles prior to this was portraying Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction, earning her a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. I mean, she was the literal character featured on the poster for this film, and honestly, I can see why. She has such star appeal. She has plenty of great performances but this is one of her best. 

Mena Suvari (American Beauty)

This 1999 film, American Beauty, told a captivating story about a man having a midlife crisis, but the main star to me of this was Mena Suvari as Angela Hayes, the object of affection for the main character, Lester Burnham. Even if the film didn’t age too well, I think we call agree Suvari was phenomenal in it. 

Robin Wright (Forrest Gump)

If you’re not saying “Jenny” by the end of Forrest Gump in a Southern drawl, I don’t think we were watching the same film. This Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks told the story of Forrest Gump and his legendary life, often times where he would think of his young love, Jenny, played by Robin Wright. Their love story is a tumultuous one, but a memorable one as well. 

Kirsten Dunst (Interview With The Vampire)

Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire is iconic for many reasons, showing how amazingly talented she was as an actress at the tender age of eleven. She later went on to star in films like Bring it On and Spider-Man, but no one can quite forget her character, Claudia.

Salma Hayek (Desperado)

Salma Hayek has been in many different kinds of films, such as being a part of the Grown Ups cast or starring in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, but Desperado was one of the early films that made her the star she is today. Starring alongside Antonio Banderas as Carolina, Hayek was badass and her character was just as amazing. It’s definitely one of her best movies, and I would watch another film with both her and Banderas.  

Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got To Do With It, Waiting To Exhale) 

Angela Bassett is a master-class actress, and has shown just how amazingly talented she is in any role. I mean, there are so many movie parts that she should have been nominated for an Oscar, However, one of her most iconic roles from the '90s did indeed earn her nominations - her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. And another great role for Bassett in the '90s was Bernadine Harris in Waiting to Exhale. Both of these movies were great showcases of her acting prowess. 

Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard)

“And I will always love you.” 

You know the song, I know you do. It’s one of the most iconic songs of all time and has been performed by so many people. Even though it was originally written by Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston sang this iconic song for the soundtrack for The Bodyguard, where she played Rachel Marron, a famous singer who falls for the bodyguard tasked with protecting her. 

Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Last but not least, we have Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies. While she’s been in plenty of amazing movies such as Crazy Rich Asians and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, one of my personal favorites of hers is her role as Wai Lin, a Chinese spy and an ally to James Bond. 

Yeoh is a bloody badass. This James Bond alum truly defined the term “kick ass and take names” because she was one of the best Bond girls ever, in my opinion. I would gladly see her return to the franchise alongside Pierce Brosnan, but I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon, so I’ll just re-watch this movie over and over. 

There are truly so many other iconic roles, but these are some of the best that you should check out again next time you want to watch a great movie. Now, if you don’t mind me, I’m going to re-watch Jurassic Park again before the latest sequel.  

Whether he is portraying dashing and swashbuckling masked heroes, playing unsavory and unhinged characters, or providing his voice for one of the most successful animated film franchises in cinematic history, the extremely busy Antonio Banderas gives it his all at every opportunity. Over the years, the decorated actor who can bounce between comedy, drama, and action with little to no trouble at all, has provided for some of the best characters and movie moments the world has ever seen.

I was reminded of this when I, like millions of others, saw Uncharted on opening weekend and was blown away by the sinister yet charismatic performance by the versatile actor. And so I thought now would be a good a time as any to go through the best Antonio Banderas movies, talk about them, and show how you can watch them streaming (as well as buy them). Here are 11 of those movies…

Desperado (1995)

In the wake of his girlfriend’s brutal murder at the hands of the power-hungry drug lord known as “Bucho,” (Joaquim de Almeida) “El Mariachi” (Antonio Banderas) goes on a reign of terror to avenge the love of his life. With a guitar case full of high-powered weapons, the “man in black” leaves behind a trail of blood and vengeance.

The second chapter in Robert Rodriguez’s “Mexico” trilogy, Desperado is often the title people first think about when the neo-western franchise is brought up, and a lot of that has to do with Antonio Banderas interpretation of the character. Both dashing and deadly, El Mariachi will forever be one of the most iconic characters in Rodriguez’s body of work and gives Banderas an opportunity to show off his innate charm, badass action skills, and his heartbreakingly beautiful singing voice.

Shrek 2 (2004)

Upon returning from their honeymoon, Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona’s (Cameron Diaz) relationship is put to the ultimate test when the Fairy Godmother and her son, Prince Charming, hatch a diabolical plan to steal the princess away from the lovable ogre. With potions, scheming, and a swashbuckling feline assassin named Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) among the mother-son duo’s bag of tricks, it’ll be quite the fight.

Improving upon what made the first movie such a success, Shrek 2 keeps what works with some new additions for extra flavor. The best of those additions? None other than Antonio Banderas' adorable and lethal Puss in Boots, who would become one of the franchise’s stars post-release. What works so well with the character is the way in which in plays on Banderas’ best characters while not trivializing his cinematic work.

Stream Shrek 2 on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Shrek 2 on Amazon.
Buy Shrek 2 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Pain And Glory (2019)

Pedro Almodovar’s intimate and semi-autobiographical Pain and Glory centers on Spanish film director Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) as he looks back on his past and contemplates his future as both his body and mind deteriorate. By exploring memories — both good and bad — the aging and closed-off filmmaker attempts to find new meaning in life.

The most recent collaboration between director Almodovar and Banderas (a partnership that goes back to the 1980s), Pain and Glory is near the top of that list. The movie, which was nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and a spot on numerous best-of lists in 2019, shows the greatness of Banderas’ craft with his introspective and pained portrayal of an artist in conflict. 

Rent/Buy Pain and Glory on Amazon.
Buy Pain and Gain on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Frida (2002)

Julie Taymor’s 2002 biographical drama Frida tells the life story of groundbreaking Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) as she grows from a talented yet timid painter to one of the most celebrated creative spirits of the early 20th Century.

In addition to featuring a tremendous performance by Hayek and one of Alfred Molina’s best roles with his portrayal of Diego Rivera, Frida also has an amazing supporting cast that includes Edward Norton, Ashley Judd, and Antonio Banderas. The Spanish actor’s portrayal of surrealist artist (and Rivera’s rival) David Alfaro Siqueiros is especially masterful here and is made all the better with the undying flame in the actor’s eyes throughout all his scenes.

Stream Frida on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Frida on Amazon.
Buy Frida on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Equal parts film noir and romantic comedy, Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown follows Pepa Marcos’ (Carmen Maura), a women whose lover mysteriously vanished from her life, as she and a colorful cast of characters attempt to make sense of the peculiar situation that only seems to get stranger as it carries on.

Although he plays a supporting role in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, it is hard to deny the charm Antonio Banderas brings to the character of Carlos, the son of Pepa’s former lover who gets caught up in this hilariously complicated narrative, one that includes terrorist plots, records and phones being thrown out a window, and a group of women pushed to the edge.

Rent/Buy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown on Amazon.
Buy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Mask Of Zorro (1998)

Every hero’s journey has to start somewhere, and for Antonio Banderas’ Alejandro Murrieta, that start happens in Martin Campbell’s 1998 action adventure The Mask of Zorro. With the aging Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) out of prison but not capable of fighting evil on his own, he takes the tough yet irresponsible Alejandro under his wing in hopes of passing on the moniker to the next generation.

This throwback to the old Zorro stories is a wild, daring, and entertaining experiment that sees Banderas come into his own as the masked vigilante, and the accomplished actor makes the already likable hero all the more enjoyable to watch. 

Stream The Mask of Zorro on Netflix.
Rent/Buy The Mask of Zorro on Amazon.
Buy The Mask of Zorro on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Philadelphia (1993)

After being fired from a prestigious Philadelphia law firm, Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) sues his former employer for unlawful termination and discrimination because of his homosexuality and AIDS diagnosis. Together with Denzel Washington’s Joe Miller, the courageous attorney attempts to argues his case before he succumbs to the deadly virus.

Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia is remembered for the outstanding performances by the two leads (Hanks did win his first Oscar for his part), but the supporting cast shouldn’t be overlooked. This includes Antonio Banderas and his portrayal of Andrew’s lover and caretaker Miguel Alvarez, who stays by his side until the end, braving everything life throws at him with a great deal of tenderness, respect, and love.

Stream Philadelphia on Showtime.
Rent/Buy Philadelphia on Amazon.
Buy Philadelphia on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Evita (1996)

The late Alan Parker’s 1996 musical biographical drama Evita follows Eva Perón (Madonna) as she goes from a beautiful and talented actress and singer to the First Lady of Argentina in the first half of the 20th Century. Each of the various chapters in this sprawling story are narrated by a character simply known as Ché (Antonio Banderas) who sings about the popular figure’s rise and legacy.

What’s really cool about Evita is the way it pays tribute to the stage production on which it was based, especially with Banderas’ various musical numbers that help establish the movie’s most pivotal moments. And even though he has no hand in the film’s plot, his character helps explain the specifics of Perón’s life and he sounds amazing doing so.

Stream Evita on Hoopla.
Rent/Buy Evita on Amazon.
Buy Evita on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Neil Jordan’s 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) as he goes from being a member of the Louisiana elite in the late 18th Century to an immortal vampire following a chance encounter with Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise), and eventually centers on his attempts to escape his master by any means necessary.

One of the major players in the story is the mysterious vampire Armand (Antonio Banderas) who offers Louis shelter while teaching him about the life of a vampire but while also taking something very near to his heart. Banderas’ suave portrayal of the sophisticated vampire is up there with some of the best representations of the character-type so far, and can be attributed to manner in which the talented actor brings him to life.

Stream Interview with the Vampire on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Interview with the Vampire on Amazon.
Buy Interview with the Vampire on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Driven to the point of insanity after his wife is terribly burned in an accident, plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) dedicates his life to creating a new skin to prevent others from going through so much pain and suffering. But in doing so, he holds a woman (Elena Anaya) hostage as a test subject in Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In.

Antonio Banderas beautifully shows what kind of an impact extreme grief and suffering can have on a person’s psyche, pushing them to the point where they are able to look past the consequences of their actions.

Rent/Buy The Skin I Live In on Amazon.
Buy The Skin I Live In on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Spy Kids (2001)

When their parents are kidnapped by the diabolical Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming), Carmen (Alexa PenaVega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) rise to the occasion become spies to save them and prevent a sinister plot from being carried out. 

Robert Rodriguez and Antonio Banderas have one of the best collaborative partnerships in the action genre, and they don’t need blood-soaked revenge thrillers to show that. This happens to be the case with Spy Kids, which feels a lot like their previous work but with a lighter tone and loads of comedic elements. And just like the rest of the cast, Banderas looks like he’s having one hell of a time throughout this family-friendly spy flick.

Stream Spy Kids on Showtime.
Rent/Buy Spy Kids on Amazon.
Buy Spy Kids on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

This is just a small portion of the great Antonio Banderas movies you can watch, as there are dozens of other titles worth checking out. After taking a look at all these films, why not check out CinemaBlend's schedule of all the 2022 movie premiere dates so you don't miss a thing?

It’s time to ring in the New Year, Netflix subscribers! Although, looking at the list of incoming titles, you may be asking yourself just what year it happens to be. January 2022 promises the return of some fan-favorite shows, but moreso a slew of classics.  This includes the likes of Interview With A Vampire, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Lost Boys, Gremlins and even an Adam Sandler classic. 

Ahead of the list, should you want to revisit December 2021’s Netflix lineup, we have you covered. Otherwise, you don’t have to wait until midnight, or even December 31st, to see what’s headed online in January 2022! Here’s to the next year, and all of these titles that will help kick it off. 

New On Netflix Available January 1: The Wedding Singer, Interview With The Vampire And True Grit

Right at the top, there are already a ton of catalog titles awaiting viewers who want to spend New Year’s Day with something cozy and familiar. Fun (and cheesy) crowd-pleasers like 1998’s Godzilla reboot are available, just in case you don’t want to think too hard after when the partying has ended. Or, in tribute to the late Anne Rice, you could relive Tom Cruise’s impressive turn in Interview with the Vampire. Hawkeye fans can get some more Hailee Steinfeld excitement onto their screens, as the Coen Bros’ remake of True Grit is coming online not too long after the Disney+ series airs its highly-awaited season finale. And Adam Sandler fans should have plenty coming in 2022, but that kicks off with The Wedding Singer, here. 

Chief Daddy 2 - Going for Broke - NETFLIX FILM - 1/1/22
The Hook Up Plan: Season 3 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/1/22
300 - 1/1/22
1BR - 1/1/22
Annie (1982) - 1/1/22
Big Fish - 1/1/22
Braveheart - 1/1/22
Cadillac Records - 1/1/22
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - 1/1/22
Doing Hard Time - 1/1/22
Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight To Save Her Daughter - 1/1/22
First Sunday - 1/1/22
Free Willy - 1/1/22
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - 1/1/22
Geronimo: An American Legend - 1/1/22
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - 1/1/22
Girl, Interrupted - 1/1/22
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - 1/1/22
Godzilla (1998) - 1/1/22
Gremlins - 1/1/22
Happy Feet - 1/1/22
Hell or High Water - 1/1/22
Hook - 1/1/22
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 1/1/22
I Love You, Man - 1/1/22
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer - 1/1/22
Interview with the Vampire - 1/1/22
Just Go With It - 1/1/22
Kung Fu Panda - 1/1/22
Linewatch - 1/1/22
The Longest Yard (2005) - 1/1/22
The Lost Boys - 1/1/22
Midnight in Paris - 1/1/22
Monsters vs. Aliens - 1/1/22
Nacho Libre - 1/1/212
The NeverEnding Story - 1/1/22
Paranormal Activity - 1/1/22
The Patriot - 1/1/22
Road Trip - 1/1/22
Runaway Bride - 1/1/22
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 1/1/22
Stand by Me - 1/1/22
Superman Returns - 1/1/22
Taxi Driver - 1/1/22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007) - 1/1/22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze - 1/1/22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III - 1/1/22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (1990) - 1/1/22
Terminator 2: Judgment Day - 1/1/22
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - 1/1/22
Terminator Salvation - 1/1/22
The Town - 1/1/22
Troy - 1/1/22
True Grit (2010) - 1/1/22
The Wedding Singer - 1/1/22
Wild Wild West - 1/1/22
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) - 1/1/22
Woo - 1/1/22

New On Netflix The Week Of January 3: Hype House and Johnny Test: Season 2

TikTok sensation Hype House debuts a Netflix reality series this week, bringing fans into the making of the fun (and drama) the collaborative creator group gets into on social. Also, be on the lookout for Johnny Test, as Season 2 tests out new inventions and surprises in the continuation of this revival series. 

Action Pack - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/4/22
Four to Dinner - NETFLIX FILM - 1/5/22
Rebelde - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/5/22
The Club: Part 2 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/6/22
The Wasteland - NETFLIX FILM - 1/6/22
Hype House - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/7/22
Johnny Test: Season 2 - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/7/22

New On Netflix The Week Of January 10: Phantom Thread And After Life: Season 3 

The internet seems to have a huge influence on programming this month, as children’s YouTuber Blippi debuts two specials on the platform this week; one of them being Blippi: Adventures. However, if you want to indulge in some off-beat humor that borders on the dramatic, Season 3 of After Life and Paul Thomas Anderson’s haute couture romance Phantom Thread will both be available to satisfy that need. 

Undercover: Season 3 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/10/22
Dear Mother - NETFLIX FILM - 1/11/22
How I Fell in Love with a Gangster - NETFLIX FILM - 1/12/22
Brazen - NETFLIX FILM - 1/13/22
Chosen - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/13/22
The Journalist - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/13/22
Photocopier - NETFLIX FILM - 1/13/22
After Life: Season 3 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/14/22
Archive 81 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/14/22
BLIPPI: ADVENTURES - 1/14/22
BLIPPI’S SCHOOL SUPPLY SCAVENGER HUNT - 1/14/22
The House - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/14/22
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/14/22
This Is Not a Comedy - NETFLIX FILM - 1/14/22
Phantom Thread - 1/16/22

New On Netflix The Week Of January 17: After We Fell, Munich, Ozark Season 4 -Part 1, And Too Hot To Handle Season 3

The Byrde family arrives at the beginning of the end this month, as Part 1 of Season 4 to Ozark drops the first part of its 14 episode series finale. If you want to continue building dramatic tension, World War II spy thriller Munich - The Edge of War or Season 3 of Too Hot To Handle will gladly help out; though the results will vary. Last, but not least, all of you After fans can catch the latest installment, After We Fell, in its new streaming home on Netflix. 

After We Fell - 1/17/22
Mighty Express: Train Trouble - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/18/22
El marginal: Season 4 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/19/22
Heavenly Bites: Mexico - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY - 1/19/22
Juanpis González - The Series - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/19/22
The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY - 1/19/22
Too Hot to Handle: Season 3 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/19/22
Midnight Asia: Eat · Dance · Dream - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY - 1/20/22
The Royal Treatment - NETFLIX FILM - 1/20/22
American Boogeywoman - 1/21/22
Munich - The Edge of War - NETFLIX FILM - 1/21/22
My Father's Violin - NETFLIX FILM - 1/21/22
Ozark: Season 4 Part 1 - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/21/22
Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series: Part 2 - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/21/22
Summer Heat - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/21/22
That Girl Lay Lay - 1/21/22

New On Netflix The Week Of January 24: Kristen Bell's Lengthily-Titled The Woman In The House Across the Street From The Girl In The Window

Sports are running pretty strong this week, as the documentary Neymar: The Perfect Chaos and the Kevin James starring biopic Home Team both take the field. Though get ready for possibly the most ridiculous title to enter the Netflix canon, as Kristen Bell’s The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window is going to be quite a mouthful to recommend to friends and family, though the long title has made it buzzy so far. It also happens to be a comedy, in case that wasn’t abundantly clear.

 
Three Songs for Benazir - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY - 1/24/22
Ada Twist, Scientist: Season 2 - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/25/22
Neymar: The Perfect Chaos - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY - 1/25/22
Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/27/22
Angry Birds: Summer Madness - NETFLIX FAMILY - 1/27/22
Feria: The Darkest Light - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/27/22
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/27/22
Home Team - NETFLIX FILM - 1/27/22
In From the Cold - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/27/22
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window - NETFLIX SERIES - 1/27/22

New On Netflix TBD

Netflix’s incoming debuts for January 2022 aren’t finished just yet. Here’s a handful of titles that’ll debut throughout the month, with release dates waiting to be secured!

All of Us Are Dead - NETFLIX SERIES
I Am Georgina - NETFLIX SERIES
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein - NETFLIX SERIES

There’s so much to look forward to on Netflix in January 2022, and we didn’t even highlight everything! The original 1982 film version of Annie will be available to please fans of NBC’s recent live musical retake; and your inner warrior will be pleased if you choose to double feature 300 and Braveheart. Just remember, warriors can cry too, so be sure to check back with this schedule, to be certain that the title you’re looking for hasn’t shifted due to change or availability. Until next time, have a happy and safe New Year, and stream responsibly! 

Kirsten Dunst is among a crop of actors who started starring in movies as a kid and have found enough success (and life balance) to become successful into adulthood. The 39-year-old actor, who is currently receiving Oscar buzz for her role in The Power of the Dog, recently looked back over her career and remembered the moment she auditioned for her role in Interview With The Vampire, which would become her big break, and there’s a Tom Cruise story involved. 

In an episode of The Playback with Netflix, Kirsten Dunst did a deep-dive through her over 30-year career in Hollywood and shared how Tom Cruise may have helped her nab the role of Claudia. In her words: 

Kirsten Dunst was apparently at a disadvantage as a rather tall 11-year-old trying out for the role (she would grow up to be an above-average 5'7'', after all). She remembers auditioning with Tom Cruise, (who is coincidentally also 5'7'') for a scene where the filmmakers were testing to see how Claudia would look next to Cruise’s Lestat. Dunst continued: 

Kirsten Dunst thinks the decision had something to do with the both of them hailing from Jersey, but as evidenced all these years later, she really had the stuff to go far in the business. The actress, of course, got the role and had the opportunity to work with the likes of Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater before high school. 

Following Interview With The Vampire’s release, which became a big commercial success in 1994, Kirsten Dunst was chosen for two more high-profile roles in Little Women and Jumanji. She’d later spend her teen years making movies like The Virgin Suicides, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Bring It On before becoming Mary Jane Watson in the first Spider-Man movies. 

In recent years, Kirsten Dunst has continued to take on some fantastic projects, such as her Emmy-nominated role in Fargo and her latest film, The Power of the Dog. The Netflix Western also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Thomasin McKenzie and her real-life husband, Jesse Plemons. All these years later, it’s interesting to see how it all began for Dunst and to see Tom Cruise was on her side from the beginning. The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix. 

Anne Rice fans have even more to look forward to on TV in the near future. AMC’s adaptation of Interview with the Vampire is already on track to premiere on AMC in 2022, nearly 30 years after the film version starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst came out. Now it’s been announced that another one of the author’s popular horror works, the Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy, is getting the small screen treatment on the same cable network.

AMC Networks has given the green light to Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, with the first season being comprised of eight episodes and expected to air on the channel (and on the AMC+ streaming service) in late 2022. Masters of Sex’s Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford have been tapped to write and executive produce the series, with the former handling showrunner duties. While we’ve known since 2020 that AMC acquired the rights to Lives of the Mayfair Witches alongside Interview with the Vampire, now the network is officially moving forward with a series. Here’s what Spalding and Ashford has to say about being brought aboard for Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches:

For those unfamiliar with Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the trilogy follows a California neurosurgeon named Rowan Mayfair who discovers that she’s the heir to a family of witches. It doesn’t take long for Rowan to discover she has extraordinary powers, and from there she learns the existence of Lasher, a ghost who’s been haunting the Mayfair family for generations. Along with the original three books (1990’s The Witching Hour, 1993’s Lasher and 1994’s Taltos), some of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches characters popped up in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles series, so could that kind of crossover happen on TV too?

It definitely seems possible given that in its announcement about Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, AMC referred to the show as part of an “expanding Anne Rice universe.” The network has the rights to 18 Rice titles in total, and with The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul both ending next year, clearly Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire are being set up to be an integral corner of AMC programming. Whether that means other Rice-penned book series will be turned into AMC TV shows remains to be seen, but for now, fans of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy can take comfort knowing that this saga has finally scored a live-action adaptation.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more notable updates on the development of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, including who’s tapped to lead the AMC series. Don’t forget to look through our fall 2021 TV premiere guide to learn which of your favorite shows are currently airing. 

When it comes to some of the best shows to watch, there are always so many options for fans of TV to enjoy, in any type of genre, from the best fantasy shows to sci-fi ones to any kind of style one could imagine. But one genre that deserves more attention are the greatest LGBTQ+ shows out there that you could watch right now. 

From recent additions such as Heartstopper on Netflix, to some of the older shows like The L Word, there are so many options to choose from that you can view if you’re craving something new. Here are some of the best out there. 

Sex Education (2019 – 2023)

If you’re interested in a hilarious comedy, then Sex Education is the way to go. This series tells the story of Otis, a high schooler who lives his daily life at school with his friends trying to grow up and understand love, sex, and so much more, with the help of his sex therapist mother. 

Sex Education is honestly a great show overall. I do think some of the earlier seasons are better than the later ones, but each installment shows really convincing love stories that feel realistic. There are plenty of great LGBTQ+ romances here that speak to the heart and soul, and offer plenty of valuable advice to the viewer. 

Stream Sex Education on Netflix. 

Yellowjackets (2021 – Present)

Yellowjackets is one of Showtime’s best shows. The series goes back and forth between two timelines. The first takes place in the 1990s, where a soccer team suffers in a plane crash and somehow has to live in the Canadian wilderness over the winter. The second is the future, where the survivors of this ordeal must handle the consequences decades later. 

Is Yellowjackets purely an LGBTQ+ show? No, it is not, but I have to give credit where credit is due for the amazing LGBTQ+ storyline that is portrayed with Tawny Cypress and her character, Taissa. It’s a great addition to her character and adds another complex layer to the story at hand. Not only that, but this is a series that you will not want to stop watching, for hours on end. While we all wait for Yellowjackets Season 3, now is the time to check this one out.

Stream Yellowjackets on Paramount+.

Heartstopper (2022 – Present)

If you’re looking for another cute teen romance, then you have to check out Heartstopper. The show follows the tale of Charlie, who is struggling to deal with his feelings for one of his classmates, Nick. Through the course of several episodes, Charlie learns to not only embrace his feelings, but overcomes his own personal obstacles to find happiness in this modern world. 

Heartstopper was honestly one of the best teen shows I watched in 2022 – really, it was one of the most heartwarming ones too. The Heartstopper cast is full of love and light and is always a delight in every shape and form, and now with two seasons out and a third season on the way, there will be even more lovely LGBTQ+ love. It’s seriously told so well, and almost feels as if you step into the graphic novel it is based on. 

Stream Heartstopper on Netflix. 

The Bold Type (2017 – 2021)

Running for five seasons and starring Katie Stevens, Aishia Dee, and Meghann Fahy, The Bold Type will make you want to move to New York City in the 21st century and chase your dreams. The story mainly follows three girls who work in the magazine industry, and their personal and professional lives living in one of the biggest cities in the world. 

While The Bold Type isn’t necessarily an LGBTQ+ show entirely, one of the main characters Kat, has a heavy storyline all about exploring her sexuality and who she is as a person. It’s a great representation of sexuality in today’s world, and you’ll end up loving her even more as the seasons go on. Plus, the friend group trio is truly some of the best ever. 

Stream The Bold Type on Hulu.

First Kill (2022)

Are you looking for a teen drama that also happens to be one of the best LGBTQ+ shows out there? Then First Kill is for you. In this supernatural teen drama, we follow two girls – one, a vampire, aiming for her first kill, and the other a monster hunter, looking for her own first kill to signify her place in the family. But sooner or later, girl meets girl – and love comes before death. 

First Kill is one of those shows that seriously should have gotten so many more seasons because it was so good, and the common outcry over its cancellation on Netflix is telling enough for how much fans loved this series. Not only was it spicy and full of supernatural treats, but the love story between the two main characters was somehow believable in a world full of monsters and vampires. This is a show you do not want to miss. 

Stream First Kill on Netflix.

Sense8 (2015 – 2018)

This sci-fi series was canceled far too soon on Netflix. Sense8 tells the story of eight human beings from around the world who suddenly discover that they are linked through each other, mentally and physically – otherwise known as being a “sensate.”

Sense8 was such an underappreciated show and deserved way more seasons. It was not only created by the Matrix creators, but it explores so many relevant themes in many of the best LGBTQ+ shows, like sexuality and gender and how we identify ourselves, in such a way that is beautiful. It’s nice that the series got a movie to sort of cap it off, but it still makes me sad considering it should have lasted longer. 

Stream Sense8 on Netflix. 

Love, Victor (2020 – 2022)

A spinoff of the film Love, Simon, this Hulu original series is probably one of the best LGBTQ+ centered shows that you could watch. Love, Victor follows the titular character (played by Michael Cimino) who struggles with his sexuality in the first season, but slowly learns to love himself and grow into who he truly is. 

Like The Bold Type, I think this series is a great example of how a modern day person who is going through a change in their life develops certain ways to deal with it and grow into a mature young adult. What really makes Love, Victor such a great show is that it isn’t afraid to dive deep into social issues that still affect us now.

Stream Love, Victor on Hulu. 

Pose (2018 - 2021)

In this Ryan Murphy-created show, Pose follows African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag ball culture in the 1980s and 1990s, telling the stories that these people often faced, from discrimination to learning how to accept themselves. 

Pose is a lot of fun. While the LGBTQ+ themes are evident in this show, there are also plenty of other great moments to enjoy, from the entertaining dance scenes, the head-bopping music, brilliant acting performances, and so much more. With a cast that includes Emmy winners Evan Peters and Billy Porter, Pose is the perfect show to watch when you just need something peppy to make you happy again, and I find myself returning to it often. It’s a great time for anyone to enjoy. 

Stream Pose on Hulu.

Glee (2009 – 2015) 

Yes, you will get up and dance to these covers. Glee was a Fox comedy series that took the world by storm when it first came out, telling the story of a group of misfits who all join a glee club in order to gain some sort of popularity at school or to show off their talents in one way or another, led by teacher Will Schuester – and it just gets funnier from there. 

Glee is one of those shows where you forget how funny it is. For those who want a great LGBTQ+ storyline, you get several in this show, many of which are either hysterical or heartwarming. But, if you’re just here for comedy, there’s so much of it – some of which has aged well, and some that hasn’t, but it’s still enjoyable nonetheless.

Stream Glee on Hulu. 

Will & Grace (1998 - 2020) 

In this popular LGBTQ+ series, Will & Grace is set in NYC and follows the friendship between Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and his best friend, Grace Adler, a Jewish woman who owns an interior design firm. 

Will & Grace was known at the beginning of its time on the air for being a very progressive show to have a gay man as the lead. Obviously, with so many choices to pick from now, that’s not the case anymore, but you can’t deny its iconicness in the industry and how it changed the face of television. Will and Grace, played by Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, have amazing chemistry and are the best friends you always wanted, alongside the rest of the Will & Grace cast. The show was so beloved it was revived years later - that’s how you know it’s good. 

Stream Will & Grace on Hulu. 

It’s A Sin (2021)

Taking place during the AIDS epidemic in London, It’s A Sin is a drama miniseries that follows a group of gay men as they try to live their lives facing discrimination and more when fear for this illness was at an all-time high.

It’s A Sin, in comparison to many of the others on this list, is drama at its core. It’s raw, real, and will leave you aching with the need for justice for those that suffered during that time. It teaches valuable lessons on the treatment of LGBTQ+ people and offers a lot of history to those who didn’t know much about this time.

Stream It’s A Sin on Max. 

Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire (2022 - Present)

Based on the 1976 novel of the same name, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire debuted on AMC in October 2022 to fantastic reviews. It follows the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac and the story of how he tells his tale to a journalist, from the beginnings of his life as a vampire to everything else in-between. 

The series has seven episodes and is honestly one of the best adaptations of Anne Rice’s work. It really embraces the story of Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis as not only partners but lovers, and delivers a supernatural filled romance that is sure to please the eyes. Plus, Jacob Anderson gives a compelling leading performance. 

Stream Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire on AMC Plus.

The Haunting Of Bly Manor (2020)

Who knew that ghosts and LGBTQ+ romance could go so well together? The Haunting of Bly Manor is a series from Mike Flanagan, where we see a young woman look after two children in an old manner, but things start to turn upside down the moment she arrives. 

If you know Flanagan, you know it's rare the horror master ever misses. But, I think what makes The Haunting of Bly Manor so good is that its LGBTQ+ love story is so subtle in its delivery, and yet extremely pleasing and will also make you cry and sob your eyes out. Tragically magical. 

Stream The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix. 

Orange Is The New Black (2013 - 2019)

In this Netflix original series, Orange is the New Black is based on a true story, following Piper Chapman, as she is brought to prison on the charge of helping her former ex-girlfriend smuggle drugs. Now, she must serve a more than year-long sentence in this minimum security prison, dealing with the ongoings of prison life. 

While Orange is the New Black sounds like it would be more like a prison show, the crimes these people committed really take a backseat, because the relationships are in the forefront. Each season, you’ll come back to follow the relationships between characters that you want to succeed, from Piper and Alex, to Poussey and Brook, to so many others. The Orange is the New Black cast is so talented, and they make this show rewatchable, even now after it’s come to an end, with an entertaining story, complex character backstories, and so much more. It’s truly one of the best shows you can binge-watch on the platform.

Stream Orange is the New Black on Netflix. 

The Owl House (2020 – 2023)

There are just so many good animated shows out there right now, and The Owl House was one of those. This series follows a teenager named Luz, who finds herself suddenly taken into a world of magic when she stumbles into a portal. Now, she must learn to live in this strange world and survive, alongside her new magical friends. 

While this isn’t as intense as some of the other options on here, The Owl House is revolutionary in many ways. It’s one of the first Disney Channel shows that really embraced an LGBTQ+ storyline, despite some people calling the network out for it. While it only lasted for three seasons, it was a great stepping stone for the Disney Channel – and you should certainly check it out for its wonderful world of magic. 

Stream The Owl House on Disney+. 

Transparent (2014 - 2019)

Considered one of the first major Amazon Prime originals, Transparent stars Jeffrey Tambor as a parent who comes out to her kids that she is transgender, and it deals with not only her transition, but her family learning who she is and learning about sexuality as well. 

I feel like everyone has somehow heard of Transparent in some way because, at the time, the series was really groundbreaking. While I feel that we are moving in the direction of proper representation of trans people, Transparent was really one of the first shows that took a hard look at it, making it the center plot. It’s funny, heartfelt, and may even teach you something. 

Stream Transparent on Amazon Prime. 

Mary & George (2024)

Starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine, this is the steamy Starz series that will make you fan yourself after watching it. Mary & George is based on the non-fiction book, The King’s Assassin, and follows the story of the affair between James VI and I and George Villers, and how it was used as a ploy to rise to power. 

This show… is something else, man. It’s a miniseries, so it’s only a few episodes long, but good lord, it does not hold back. Not only is the story interesting – especially the LGBTQ+ aspect of it – but the chemistry is off the charts. Both Moore and Galitzine give it their all – and I am fully convinced that Galitzine is just taking over the world at this point. 

Stream Mary & George on Starz. 

Schitt’s Creek (2015 – 2020)

You just can’t help but love Schitt’s Creek. This iconic comedy, starring the lovely Schitt’s Creek cast, tells the story of the Rose family and how one day, they lose everything they own except a small town that was bought as a gag years ago, known as Schitt’s Creek. Now, they must learn to adapt their lives after losing everything they knew. 

While Schitt’s Creek isn’t what I would call an LGBTQ+ show, since that’s not the main focal point of the series, I’m putting it here for the beautiful relationship that is David and Patrick, which is arguably the best part. Their relationship is one of the best LGBTQ+ ones I have seen in modern-day television and has made me cry in so many ways. I miss them so much since the show came to an end in 2020, but I can always return and watch the love story from beginning to end – along with the rest of the Rose family. 

Stream Schitt’s Creek on Hulu.

The L Word (2004 - 2009)

In this popular Showtime series, The L Word follows the lives of a small, close-knit group of gay women, as well as the loves they meet along the way, and the family and friends that join them on their journey, or reject them entirely. 

To me, The L Word was one of my first introductions into this type of media, and it became such a big hit for a reason. The L Word cast is full of talent, led by the wonderful Jennifer Beals, and the stories that each of the characters have are done exceptionally well and bring on relationships that you want to root for. There have been several spinoffs, including a recent one in 2019 with Beals returning, so you know that the original had to have been entertaining. I think anyone who wants to watch a good show would enjoy this one. 

Stream The L Word on Hulu. 

Queer Eye (2018 – Present)

Are you looking for the ultimate makeover? Then Queer Eye is for you. This Netflix original, rebooted from the original series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the show follows five LGBTQ+ men who take it upon themselves to help those in need of life changes, from style to cooking to home improvements. 

While the original series that this show is based on was good, there’s just something I love about Queer Eye now. I think it’s that the men feel like they really want to help and they go to such drastic lengths in order to do so. They’re so kind, loving, and honestly have some great tips for you to even use at home. It’s an all-around feel good show, one I would certainly recommend watching if you’ve never gotten the chance. 

Stream Queer Eye on Netflix. 

Looking (2014 - 2016) 

Finally, we take a look at Looking. In this HBO original series, we follow the lives of three openly gay close friends who live in modern-day San Francisco, on their journeys together trying to find love, happiness, and everything in between. 

I feel like Looking is one of those HBO shows that deserves so much more praise than it got. Not only was the story interesting and its large cast ensemble super talented, it was genuinely a great show not just about finding love but the value of having friends in your life that supported you. Talented actor Jonathan Groff, known for his roles in Glee, Hamilton, and Kristoff in the Frozen cast, stars in this short-lived series, and honestly, it’s one of his best roles. He deserves so much more praise, as does the rest of the cast. 

Stream Looking on  Max. 

With so many awesome shows to pick from, it may be hard to pick just one, but just know that whichever one you do go with, you’ll enjoy it all the same. Maybe even after you’ll go and watch some of the best TV shows or movies with LGBTQ+ actors in the

AMC's Interview with the Vampire TV series has reportedly found its new leading man. Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson, who portrayed Grey Worm on the HBO fantasy series, is set to play Louis de Pointe du Lac, the character that was played by Brad Pitt in the 1994 film. The horror series will see Anderson's Louis get ushered into the world of vampires by Lestat, played by Hatfields & McCoys alum Sam Reid.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Interview with the Vampire will allow Jacob Anderson to reteam with Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor, who is said to be directing the first two episodes of the new series. The show is based on the gothic horror novel by Anne Rice, which was first published in 1976 and was followed by multiple sequels. All of the books make up the series known as The Vampire Chronicles. The series would arguably achieve greater recognition with the release of the 1994 movie, which saw Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise play blood-sucking vampires.

Besides Game of Thrones, Jacob Anderson has had a pretty impressive career. He’s appeared in shows such as The Mimic, Skins, Broadchurch and Saturday Night Live. He's also had roles in films like Adulthood, Demons Never Die and Overlord. And in his spare time, he’s also a Columbia recording artist and has released two albums, the most recent being 2020’s Andy via Alacran Records.

Interview with the Vampire has received an eight-episode order for its first season and is currently set to begin production later this year. The adaption will premiere on AMC as well as AMC+ in 2022, though an exact date has not been given, as of this writing. While the roles of Louis and Lestat have been cast, there is currently no news regarding who will portray Armand or Santiago, who were originally played on the big screen by Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea, respectively.

Perry Mason showrunner Rolin Jones will serve as the creator, writer and executive producer on the reboot. Anne Rice, her son Christopher and Better Call Saul producer Mark Johnson will all serve as executive producers along with Jones. It's also worth mentioning that AMC recently acquired the rights to 18 of Anne Rice’s books, meaning fans will be able to look forward to plenty of adaptations of Rice's work.

While there's currently no telling when the rest of the cast will be filled out, It’s likely that more news will be revealed in the coming months as production begins to ramp up. One thing that can be said right now, though, is that it'll be interesting to see what the Game of Thrones vet does with Brad Pitt's iconic character. If anything, Jacob Anderson is sure to make the role his own. Fingers crossed that we get more information on the series soon.

In the meantime, you can check out Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire on YouTube and revel in the delightfully dark combination of Pitt and Tom Cruise.

So many classic films and novels are being turned into television series in the streaming era. Some are warranted while others are a little questionable. The former is the case for the television adaptation of the classic Anne Rice novel Interview with the Vampire. Unlike the popular 1994 film adaptation, neither Brad Pitt nor Tom Cruise is set to return. So, the television series is moving forward with a new actor playing beloved antihero Lestat.

According to Deadline, the Interview with the Vampire television series will see The Hunting’s Sam Reid portraying the character. The upcoming series’ network home AMC has already ordered eight episodes for the first season, which is set to begin production in late 2021. The show will premiere on the network and streaming platform AMC+ in 2022. There’s been no word on who will take over the roles of Louis, Armand or Santiago in this latest adaptation.

While no other casting news was announced, Perry Mason showrunner Rolin Jones will serve in the same capacity for Interview with the Vampire. Jones will also serve as creator, writer and executive producer on the television reboot. Anna Rice, her son Christopher Rice and Better Call Saul producer Mark Johnson will serve as executive producers along with Jones.

The television series has plenty of power behind it. The casting of Sam Reid as beloved Lestat shouldn’t scare Interview with the Vampire diehards. Reid’s acting resume has built up to this moment. The actor has dealt with many period-themed projects, including Belle, Hatfields and McCoys, The Astronaut Wives Club and The Drover’s Wife. So, Reid is more than capable of handling the heavy themes associated with the classic novel.

This latest development marked a great progressive milestone for the television series, which was announced in June, according to Deadline. AMC gave the Interview with the Vampire reboot a straight-to-series order after acquiring the rights to 18 of Anne Rice’s books. This book along with others will be developed into projects under the guidance of Mark Johnson. Given Johnson’s track record at AMC, fans might be in for an interesting take on Lestat and his family of kindred souls.

But the television adaptation of the classic novel has a lot to live up to. Interview with the Vampire was already a beloved best-selling novel with a strong fanbase before the 1994 film was made. The 1994 blockbuster took the novel's popularity to another level with the star power of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas and introducing Kirsten Dunst to the world. It ended up being a pop culture moment, scoring $224 million at the box office and favorable reviews. Certain scenes and lines are still referenced to this day.

Hopefully, Sam Reid will be able to bring a new twist to such a beloved character. But if you want to relive Tom Cruise as Lestat, you can watch Interview with the Vampire on Prime Video.

Interview with the Vampire was a box office success when it premiered in 1994. It is one of the highest-grossing R-rated horror films of 1994 and grew to become a goth cult favorite. Leads Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were already staking their claim in Hollywood at the time, but the film made them even bigger names, and made Kirsten Dunst one to watch. Because Neil Jordan tried to be as faithful to Anne Rice’s original book as possible, Interview with the Vampire left a major impression on viewers, and the interview with the Vampire ending is still one of the coolest endings in vampire history.

Interview with the Vampire is the story of Louis (Brad Pitt), a New Orleans plantation owner who gives up on life after his wife and daughter die. One reckless night, he meets Lestat (Tom Cruise) who gives him the gift and curse of immortality. The film starts in 1791 and ends in the 1990s, so the men have centuries of misery together and apart.

The ending of Interview with the Vampire offers a final shock for Louis and Lestat’s story, and a new chapter for Daniel (Christian Slater), the San Francisco reporter who learns of Louis’s undead life story.

How Interview With The Vampire Ended

Louis tells Daniel how he saw Lestat one last time in the late '80s but he doesn’t know what happened to him. Daniel insists that there must be more to the story and a reason why Louis told him his story. He believes that Louis wants a new companion and wants him to be it.

Daniel continuously pleads with Louis to make him a vampire, so Louis attacks him in frustration, but lets him live. Daniel, shaken from the sudden outburst by Louis, gathers all his tapes and heads to his car. He speeds down the highway and starts playing the tapes. Daniel smirks a little to himself, likely because of the gold he just got with Louis’s story and because he escaped death.

Suddenly, Lestat appears and bites Daniel. While driving, Lestat offers Daniel a choice that he never got. Lestat now has been restored to his full vampire self.

A Tale Of Two Vampires

Interview with the Vampire is Louis’s journey, but through his story, we also learn about Lestat. This may be a slightly distorted version of Lestat because it’s Louis’s version of him and not his accounts, but we see at the end with Daniel and Lestat, that Louis’s version of him may have been very close to the real Lestat.

Louis is a vampire who hates being one. He sees it as a burden, but he’s not brave or generous enough to actually end his own life. Instead, he complains about how miserable it has made him. Lestat completely loves and embraces vampirism by taking advantage of all its perks.

Lestat and Louis are part of different generations. We don’t know when Lestat became a vampire, at least not in the movie, so we don’t know how long he has been one before he met Louis. It’s assumed that he was a vampire many centuries before Louis was born. So the age difference could play a part in how they react to being a vampire.

Maybe when Louis reaches Lestat’s age, he may change his views of being a vampire. Louis and Lestat also represent two different extremes of being a vampire. We have one who only sees the bad in it, and the one who overindulges himself in the vampire privileges. Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) and Armand (Antonio Banderas) kind of represent the middle ground.

Both characters enjoyed being vampires, but they were also burdened by certain aspects of it, like Claudia with the inability to age and Armand with his loneliness. Louis and Lestat almost exist to be foils of one another.

The Modern Vampire

Louis and Lestat are the archetypes for modern-day vampires. If you’ve seen any vampire TV show or movie from the 1980s to now, you’ll recognize Louis and Lestat in many of them. The best example is The Vampire Diaries’ Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). They almost have the same chaotic relationship that Lestat and Louis do, minus the sexual tension.

Stefan is the tortured one who hates being a vampire, but can’t risk his bloodlust. Damon is the cool, devious one who has fun with it but also has moments of humanity. Then we get the same sort of dualism with True Blood’s Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), and even Spike (James Marsters) and Angel (David Boreanaz) in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

You also get traces of the tortured vampire in movies like Twilight and many other modern vampire books, movies, and TV shows. They have gone very much away from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and into Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles vampires.

Sympathy For The Devil

Interview with the Vampire ends with The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” playing. The lyrics perfectly sum up Lestat. Though Louis is the main character of this film, he is not the star. Lestat takes up space and the spotlight in every scene.

The film seduces you with Lestat. The credit for this seduction belongs to Tom Cruise and his performance and Anne Rice for the Lestat source material. Interview with the Vampire is just first world vampire problems without Lestat’s charisma and danger. It’s why the film ending with him is so profound. He has once again hijacked Louis’s story by taking over the narrative. The audience forgets about Louis’s tragic life and his undead life, and just remembers how cool it is that Lestat came out of nowhere and turned Daniel into a vampire.

Cruise does a great job of giving Lestat levels. He does these horrible things but you can see the pain, fear, and regret in him at times, especially when dealing with Claudia. Lestat’s layers are what makes him an appealing character and a great example for characters that came after him with a similar persona, such as Spike and Damon Salvatore.

Anne Rice’s Personal Connection To The Material

Anne Rice wrote Interview with the Vampire while grieving the death of her daughter Michelle. Michelle died from leukemia at the age of five. Rice has been open about her and her husband using alcohol to cope with that pain. She has also shared that Lestat and Louis are her and her husband. She identifies more with Louis, but Lestat is who she wishes she could be and parts of her evolution.

She also thought about her daughter when creating Claudia, but of course their personalities are different. The book also represents the many different emotions that Rice was dealing with while creating the book. In the Talks at Google series, Rice shared how writing about vampires helped her open up as a writer.

The Audience As A Character

In Interview with the Vampire, the audience is basically Daniel. We’re learning about Louis, Lestat, and Claudia as Daniel is and with the same wonder and amusement. Daniel also represents fans who read these vampire books and become intoxicated by the story.

They ignore the tragic part and see the fantasy of immortality and vampire powers. Then Louis shakes them back to reality with the scariness of vampires. Interview with the Vampire audience is also the one that Lestat speaks to when he says “Don't be afraid. I'm going to give you the choice I never had.” The choice in this statement could mean many things, it could be the choice to live a life of meaning, the choice to live while you’re alive, or many other different choices. The point that’s being made that as humans, we have choices. No one is doomed like a vampire.

By the end of Interview with the Vampire, the audience is left to ponder the same questions that Louis has about life, loneliness, and meaning. Interview with the Vampire is available to stream on Hulu. Stream it here.

Fans of Anne Rice's long-running The Vampire Chronicles series of novels have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Interview with the Vampire TV show for what seems like centuries at this point. Unfortunately, those weeks and months have turned to years as of late, thanks to starting and stopping of the adaptation of the iconic series featuring the exploits of Lestat de Lioncourt in recent years. What seemed like a sure deal a year ago became anything but at the end of 2019 when it was announced that Hulu series based the 1976 novel and 1994 film was no longer happening.

But diehard Anne Rice fans should fear not because the entire Vampire Chronicles series of books could very well end up on AMC at some point in the near future after the cable giant purchased the television rights in 2020, opening the door for all sorts of romantic, fantastic, and engaging stories. Some may be questioning what will be adapted and when they can see it. Hopefully, I can answer some of those questions as to what is going on with The Vampire Chronicles.

Interview With A Vampire Was Originally Supposed To Be Released On Hulu, But The Deal Fell Through in Late 2019

The Vampire Chronicles was originally being shopped to various television networks in 2017, and for a stretch of time, it looked like online streaming service Hulu would be producing Interview with the Vampire after purchasing the rights to the entire book series in 2018, but that deal reportedly fell apart in December 2019, according to Variety, who also reported that the Vampire Chronicles show was supposed to enter production shortly before the plug was pulled.

The whole series entered a state of limbo in the months following Hulu's decision to pass on producing an adaptation, but fans of Anne Rice's vampire novels received some good news several months later when Anne Rice struck a deal with one of the most-watched cable channels out there.

AMC Now Holds The Rights To Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles

The Vampire Chronicles novels received a new lease on life in May 2020 when AMC announced that it had picked up the rights to Anne Rice's collection of novels as well as her Lives of the Mayfair Witches books to be produced for television later down the road. According to THR, the rights owned by Paramount Television and Anonymous Content had expired in December 2019 shortly before the deal with Hulu fell through, giving Rice the opportunity to shop the properties to other networks. Less than six months later, AMC agreed to purchase the rights to the novels and hopefully add vampires to a lineup so heavily dominated by zombies.

Anne Rice Will Serve As Executive Producer With Rolin Jones Developing The Script

Gaining the ability to produce television shows and films based on the Vampire Chronicles wasn't the only thing AMC received when it purchased the rights in May 2020, as the network also welcomed Anne Rice herself as well as her son Christopher on as executive producers for any future project. Also part of the deal, according to IGN, was the hiring of Rolin Jones, who will help with the development of Rice's various novels for the screen. Jones is most known for his work in the writer's room for television touchstones like Boardwalk Empire, Friday Night Lights, and multiple others over the course of his decorated career.

Will Each Season Focus on A Different Novel?

The news about AMC picking up the rights to the Vampire Chronicles novels from May 2020 was the last piece of confirmed information anyone has received regarding any possible show or film project, but there is room to speculate as to what fans of Anne Rice and her books could expect to see when something finally does come to our television screens.

One possibility could be to have Vampire Chronicles be the name of the series as a whole and have each season focus on a different novel from the series. This would mean that viewers could follow the exploits of Lestat de Lioncourt starting with Interview with the Vampire in Season 1, have the second season focus on the events of The Vampire Lestat, and so forth. With Lestat being a major player in most of what happens over the course of the more than a dozen books at this point, he could be the thread that ties each of the seasons together. And if AMC were to find someone as charismatic and memorable as Tom Cruise in the 1994 adaptation of Interview with the Vampire then they could have a big hit on their hands.

Which Novels Could Be Adapted

Now that AMC holds the rights to the Vampire Chronicles novels, the cable network has access to a large number of books from the vampire series as well as the Lives of the Mayfair Witches (the other series of books from Anne Rice included in the deal), as well as the various crossover titles from the two collections.

With so many novels ready to be adapted, we could see everything from the erotic novel The Vampire Armand about a young male prostitute who is turned into a vampire, or even Blood and Gold, which follows Marius as he becomes one of the oldest vampires in the series. And then there is also The Queen of the Damned, which as many may recall, was previously adapted to film in 2002 in all its goth and nu-metal greatness.

No Release Date Has Been Given At This Time

Anyone looking for a release date will have to wait a little (or a lot) longer simply because AMC and Anne Rice haven't come out and said which form the show will take or what it will include. And with no scripts ready (at least not publicly disclosed), there hasn't been any word on production starting, which only pushes it back even further.

But if anything changes, you can find all the latest on what is going on with the Vampire Chronicles TV show and everything else happening at AMC here at CinemaBlend. And don't forget to check out our handy Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to keep up-to-date on all the latest and greatest shows hitting the air these next few months.