The Vampire Lestat has come to the end of its first (perhaps, only?) season, and it adapted many elements of Anne Rice’s 1985 novel of the same name. Lestat’s youth, his killing of the wolves, his vampiric transformation, all are elements dramatized in the series. So are his complex relationships with his mother, Gabriella, and his first love, Nicki. But there are still major elements from Rice’s novel that were mysteriously absent from the series this season. Of course, we know from The Vampire Lestat‘s creators that this season is the first half of a two-part story, so we feel confident that much of what we hope for will come to our screens. If we get a season two of The Vampire Lestat, or a season titled Queen of the Damned, here are some parts of The Vampire Lestat book we hope to see in the future, all in order of importance.
Armand’s Story
The third most important vampire in Anne Rice’s lore is Armand, played in the series by Assad Zaman. Anne Rice introduced the character in 1976’s Interview with the Vampire as the leader of the Paris coven. But she really explored his history in detail in the sequel, The Vampire Lestat. We learn how marauders abducted Armand as a child in the 15th century, selling him into slavery. After suffering abuse through much of his childhood, the vampire Marius, a 1,500-year-old immortal painter, bought him and turned him into a vampire.
When the Roman Children of Darkness attacked Marius for living freely among humans, they kidnapped Armand and indoctrinated him into their Satanic beliefs. All of this is crucial backstory for Armand. And it explains a lot of his selfish and cruel actions in Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. So far, we have glimpsed Armand’s story only in short bursts and heard it discussed briefly, albeit emotionally. Hopefully, we will delve into the backstory of the vampire in a future season—especially given the popularity of the character as portrayed by Assad Zaman.
Marius’ Story
The Vampire Lestat introduces viewers to Marius de Romanus in episode five, as the ancient keeper of Those Who Must Be Kept, the vampiric Mother and Father of the species. He rescues Lestat from his underground slumber, and brings him to his secret sanctuary. But unlike the novel of the same name, we have no idea why or how he came into possession of Queen Akasha and King Enkil, or how he became a vampire in the first place. Almost nothing has been revealed about the character in the series yet.
In Rice’s novel The Vampire Lestat, we learn Marius became a vampire around 2,000 years ago, during the height of the Roman Empire, and his enlistment as protector of the vampiric Mother and Father is a major part of Anne Rice’s vampiric history. Especially given his importance to the overall Vampire Chronicles series, we hope that in a future season, we finally get Marius’ complicated history brought to life.
The Origin of the (Vampire) Species
As part of Marius’ backstory, he learns the history of the vampire species. Specifically, how Akasha and Enkil became the first vampires, over 6,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Elder immortals recounted this tale to Marius as a fable in Roman times. He later passes it on to Lestat in the 18th century. This major lore remains a mystery in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat. How Queen Akasha became “the Mother” has not yet been discussed. We imagine this is one thing that will definitely get expanded on. Especially given Akasha’s crucial role in the next chapter of Anne Rice’s world, The Queen of the Damned. This is just too important to leave out.
Lestat’s Final Concert
Everything in the novel The Vampire Lestat, as well as this past season of television, is leading up to Lestat’s big final concert. A concert which (SPOILERS for book three) is an epic disaster. A lot of vampires attending the show do not make it out alive (so to speak). But the season ended without us seeing the concert, although we already know it happens. We imagine that whatever the next season is, it will begin with Lestat’s biggest (and last) on-stage performance ever.
The Vampire Lestat’s Music Videos
Anne Rice’s original novel takes place in 1985, an era when MTV ruled the world. That meant that Lestat made a lot of music videos, which were played nonstop around the world. Although the power of the music video isn’t anywhere near what it was back in the ‘80s, musical artists still make them. We hope that we see some of Lestat’s music videos in the next season, even if they’re not a major plot point. Just because they would be fun to see.
Lestat, the Young Actor
One of the major defining moments of Lestat’s young mortal life was when he ran away from home to join a traveling theater troupe. As an aristocrat, it was seen as beneath someone of nobility to want to become an actor. As a result, his brothers brought him home and beat him brutally. The Vampire Lestat alludes to this backstory in the AMC series, but we feel this is a defining part of Lestat’s human life, and it would be nice to see it depicted.
Lestat’s Lost Years
After Louis leaves Lestat to be with Armand for seventy years, we don’t really know what became of him for those years in the AMC series. When Louis reunites with him in 20th-century New Orleans, he’s a crazed shell of his former self, living in squalor. This evokes the novels, but we don’t really know what Lestat was doing during much of those lost decades. In Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, we learn that Lestat was slowly losing his mind in this era, rejecting young vampires who sought his mentorship. This is all alluded to, but never seen. And we hope we see some of Lestat’s missing years in whatever form the next season takes.
The Vampire Lestat is now streaming on AMC and AMC+ in full. You can snag The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice to read, if you’d like to know a little bit more about what’s going on.
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