AMC has officially ordered a third show to join the so-called Anne Rice Immortal Universe, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Over a year after the basic cable network announced that it decided to develop The Talamasca, AMC has ordered the series from Mark Lafferty and John Lee Hancock. The network stated that the series will have six episodes to premiere in 2025, with production to start in Manchester, England this fall.
AMC adds one more show to the Anne Rice Immortal Universe
AMC Networks president of entertainment and AMC Studios Dan McDermott said, “This is a story we've been developing and wanting to tell from the earliest moments of this franchise, focused on a fascinating and compelling secret society that has already appeared in both of our existing Anne Rice series, The Talamasca.”
“As with all of these shows, we are thrilled to have such a high level of talent involved, represented by John Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty, and of course working closely with producer Mark Johnson as the creative head of our Anne Rice Immortal Universe,” he added.
The Talamasca has already been introduced in AMC's other shows based on Rice's novels, Interview With the Vampire and Mayfair Witches. Interview is in the middle of its second season while Mayfair's season two is currently in production in Dublin.
Hancock said, “This all started for me with a call from Mark Johnson, who asked if I'd ever heard of The Talamasca. I was intrigued by the idea of an organization that, to me, had more than a passing resemblance to the CIA or MI6, which are necessary but not always necessarily transparent. An organization with its own secrets. Thankfully, Dan McDermott liked the take and so did Mark Lafferty, who is so talented and accomplished in the world of television.”
“Many thanks to everyone from Gran Via to Mark Lafferty, to our talented writers and everyone at AMC, who have been supporters, advocates and cheerleaders from day one. I couldn't be more thrilled to be involved and look forward to presenting a third series in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe,” he added.
Lafferty wasn't originally attached to the series when AMC started to develop The Talamasca last year.
A paranormal secret agency
“When John told me about a clandestine organization in the Immortal Universe with its own hidden agendas, I was immediately hooked,” he said.
“I've admired his writing and directing for so long, and to be working with him is a true honor and thrill. Many thanks to Dan McDermott and all the incredibly talented people at AMC for their tireless support and talent, and to Mark Johnson — there is no better producer to learn from and work beside than him,” Lafferty added.
Johnson was chosen to head AMC's Anne Rice Immortal Universe for his work with the network on Lucky Hank, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Halt and Catch Fire and Rectify. He and Lafferty worked together on Halt and Catch Fire.
“With the second season of Interview with the Vampire currently receiving the best reviews of any show on television and with the production of Mayfair Witches about to wrap in Ireland, promising an even more compelling and unnerving second season, the question is what do we now add to the Immortal Universe of Anne Rice? The answer is a completely different show from the first two, but a show that nevertheless belongs under the Anne Rice umbrella. The Talamasca marries the procedural spy thriller with the supernatural and expands the thrills and the pleasures of our franchise’s ambitions,” he explained.
What is The Talamasca?
The Talamasca is also known as the Order of the Talamasca and is described in Rice's books as a secret society established to watch over and monitor the paranormal, specifically the witches, vampires, spirits and werewolves. Members of the order are often called psychic detectives.
In Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, The Talamasca was said to have existed since the 1st century and has headquarters or “motherhouses” in London, Amsterdam, Rome and other parts of the world. The organization is tasked to suppress paranormal information from the public. The Chronicles state that they have hidden most of Lestat de Lioncourt's (Sam Reid) diaries and other items that reveal the existence of vampires in its main motherhouse in London. The order also has some of Armand (Assad Zaman), Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia's (Delainey Hayles) belongings.
Members of the organizations hand out business cards with the inscription, “We watch and we are always here.” The word Talamasca is Latin for “animal mask.” It is also a term used to refer to witches or shamans.
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