For those following Interview with the Vampire, get ready: Lestat (Sam Reid) is coming to tell his side of the whole story. After two visually stunning, thematically heavy, and emotionally devastating seasons, the show now enters its third phase with a bold new repositioning – and a new name. Now called The Vampire Lestat, the series is about to showcase the narrative turning point: it’s the moment when Lestat de Lioncourt takes control of the entire plot we’ve seen so far told by Louis (Jacob Anderson), but no longer as a villain or as a side character, but as the absolute protagonist. Forget the intimate, confessional tone that marked the beginning. Lestat steps out of the shadows and into the spotlight, turning his version of events into a show with a band, stage, applause, and maybe, redemption.
The end of Season 2 already gave audiences a taste of what’s coming, but what exactly can we expect from the future of the show? What do we know for sure, and what can we only theorize for now? Here’s everything we know about The Vampire Lestat.
What to Expect From Interview with the Vampire Season 3
In short, Season 3 marks a break from what came before. Inspired by the book The Vampire Lestat (the second entry in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles), the new phase will embrace a hybrid format: part confession, part show. Lestat, unhappy with how he was portrayed in Daniel’s (Eric Bogosian) interviews and Louis’ account, forms a band and goes on a tour. This way, he gets the chance to tell his story on his own terms. However, like everything with him, this isn’t just a simple correction of the record – it’s a theatrical spectacle, a performance, and a form of self-preservation. Everything we wanted to know about his life, his vampire origin, and how his relationship with Louis really played out will come to light.
But despite the shift, there’s a clear intention to preserve the show’s dark essence. Lestat’s past will finally be explored more deeply: his relationship with his vampire mother Gabrielle, his turning under the mysterious figure of his maker Magnus, and his first encounters with figures like Marius and Akasha all suggest the vampire lore of Rice’s Immortal Universe will be expanded.
The dynamic between Lestat, Louis, and Armand (Assad Zaman) (and Daniel), now fractured, will also likely remain a central pillar of the season, creating tension within a narrative that’s more public and theatrical, and less intimate like before. This change is also reflected in the show’s dialogue style, moving away from complex, dense conversations toward something more straightforward. “It was an interesting shift to go from very complicated, wildly structured sentences to melody and more simplified verses that made up music. I kind of flailed around and screamed around for a while,” Reid joked in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Considering the teaser already released, the structure of the show is expected to change a lot, blending stage scenes, backstage interviews, private conversations, and flashbacks – with Lestat simultaneously acting as narrator, performer, and subject of the story. Rumors (fueled by fans and reinforced by behind-the-scenes images) suggest the season also might take on a documentary-style approach, with Daniel following the band and interviewing the vampire. While not confirmed, it would be a brilliant way to mirror the structure of the first season, but through a new lens.
Rolin Jones, one of the showrunners, spoke more about what to expect in the next part, and according to him, it’s no exaggeration to say Lestat will truly dominate the screen. “If you imagine that Louis’ portrait of Lestat was about 70-80 percent right, just imagine that guy suddenly at the wheel, and that’s what I want Season 3 to feel like,” he told Den of Geek. But no, Louis won’t be pushed aside, even with all this new context. Considering the books, you might wonder if he’d just fade into the background, but Interview with the Vampire has always been praised for how well it adapts various elements from The Vampire Chronicles to avoid sidelining any character.
Season 3 will ditch the introspective tone to embrace glam rock vibes, with Lestat center stage – literally. It’s no wonder the series had to change its name. The setting will be more modern and stylized, and instead of confessions in a closed room, we’ll have a vampire on tour, using music to tell his version of the story. Expect something more visual, more daring, and more direct.
Who’s in the Cast of Season 3?
The main cast returns to keep that emotional continuity in place. Alongside Sam Reid, who delivered possibly the most complex Lestat ever seen on screen, The Vampire Lestat will include Jacob Anderson (Louis), Assad Zaman (Armand), and Eric Bogosian (Daniel). Delainey Hayles (Claudia) will likely return in flashbacks or hallucinations, as well as Joseph Potter (Nicholas), Justin Kirk (Raglan James), Christopher Geary (Sam), and Gopal Divan (Dr. Fareed).
Among the new cast members, we’ll see Christopher Heyerdahl as Marius, one of the oldest and most philosophically complex vampires in the canon; and Damien Atkins as Magnus, the disturbed maker of Lestat. Other names include Ella Ballentine as Baby Jenks, a fan-favorite character from the books; and Jeanine Serralles as Christine Claire, Lestat’s lawyer.
But the biggest highlight goes to Jennifer Ehle as Gabrielle de Lioncourt – Lestat’s mother, transformed by him, and the figure who represents his last link to humanity. Her presence isn’t just emotional; it’s almost mythological. In the books, Gabrielle is the one who pushes her son to break away from everything the old vampires represent. According to Jones, she’s a central character in the new season, as important as Lestat himself, since she constantly affects him. “She’s coming in like an asteroid in Season 3. She’s about to destroy everything in her wake,” he said. Also, their problematic relationship, though not confirmed to follow the book exactly, is expected to be portrayed (something fans are really looking forward to).
And what about the Queen of the Damned? At the end of Season 2, Lestat mentions that he carries Akasha’s blood, which is a clear sign of their connection and a strong hint that we might see her in the flesh soon. She’s one of the most anticipated characters, but so far, nothing has been confirmed about her appearance in the next chapter – at least not physically. Announcements about The Vampire Lestat did mention the entry of “Those Who Must Be Kept,” but it’s likely to just be an introduction for what’s to come. According to Jones, Akasha (and her companion Enkil) will eventually appear, but the timing remains a mystery. Everything about her is still just speculation.
What Details Have Been Confirmed for Season 3?
As we know, Season 3 of Interview with the Vampire will adapt the book The Vampire Lestat, which the showrunners have already acknowledged carries a lot of pressure for being a fan favorite. More specifically, the plot brings a more emotional version of the character, exploring his childhood and abusive past in France – all leading up to his transformation into a vampire and eventual meeting with Louis. Very few plot details have been officially confirmed, but based on everything said so far, fans can safely expect something faithful.
One important clarification: yes, we’re about to meet a rockstar Lestat, but no, the season won’t be a musical. On the other hand, music will play a central role. According to the showrunners, several original songs were composed exclusively for the series, inspired by the provocative and emotional style of the character. Expect something heavily influenced by artists like David Bowie, Björk, Beastie Boys, St. Vincent, Prince, Florence Welch, Fiona Apple, Freddie Mercury, and Iggy Pop. But a special spotlight goes to the influence of Chappell Roan.
Reid confirmed at this year’s Comic-Con that he sings a lot this season, and multiple original songs were composed by the now-familiar Daniel Hart, inspired by Roan, with catchy lyrics and melodies – true earworms that are woven into the plot, not just background music. The soundtrack is there to build Lestat’s version of the events and manipulate the audience (and maybe even himself). It’s a bold choice that positions the vampire more as a popstar than an aristocrat, more David Bowie than Louis XIV.
On top of that, the show is also bringing in the iconic Devil’s Minion storyline with Armand and Daniel (just possibly flipping the timeline a bit). So yes, we’re definitely getting to see how the vampire turned the journalist and how their whole relationship plays out.
Even though AMC hasn’t released a full trailer yet, behind-the-scenes reports suggest a bigger investment in sound design, costumes, and lighting – all to turn Lestat into a full-blown icon. More than just adapting, the show now seems interested in remaking the vampire into a contemporary pop culture figure. It’s no longer just about a vampire who survived centuries of guilt and desire (though that will be portrayed more deeply in the story of his life).
The adaptation of the second volume of Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe has been eagerly awaited by fans ever since the first film adaptation. The famous Interview with the Vampire movie focused heavily on the first book, without opportunities to dive deeper into Lestat’s story, while 2002’s Queen of the Damned boldly blended elements from the second and third books. But it wasn’t exactly a well-made production, and it didn’t please critics or the author’s most loyal fans. With the TV show, expectations are genuinely high, and based on everything released so far, it’s very likely to positively surprise everyone (with a high chance of not skipping a single important detail). Now we just have to wait.
Season 3 of Interview With the Vampire (aka The Vampire Lestat) is officially set to premiere in 2026 on AMC.
The post Interview with the Vampire: Everything We Know About Season 3 appeared first on ComicBook.com.