Author Anne Rice has found adaptation success on AMC and is forming her own TV universe. Interview with the Vampire starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, and Eric Bogosian, which follows the sexy and bloody adventures of Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt, is gearing up for Season 2. Similarly, the Alexandra Daddario-led Mayfair Witches, despite having less of a die-hard fanbase, is also returning for another season. Both are based on novels written by Anne Rice, so there is no shortage of source material to draw on and determine where these shows may fit together. With many of the main characters from both The Vampire Chronicles collection of novels and Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels already established, AMC is primed to bring these stories together at some point in the future.
The showrunners/executive producers Esta Spalding and Mark Johnson for both Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire commented recently on the idea of crossing the shows over. During a panel at the Winter 2023 Television Critics Association presentation (via Collider), Spalding talked about a character who appears in both shows and added that she’s “waiting for somebody to figure” out who. Johnson furthered the connection idea by speaking on thematic Easter eggs and locations that will tie the two worlds together. In Season 1 of Interview with the Vampire, a mention of the Mayfair house has been made as well as questions about Lestat’s past. Fun as these might be, they also let the audience know where the two shows co-exist in the same world, allowing for an easy crossover when the time comes. As to how the crossover will look in actuality, it’s anyone’s guess, but there are key stories from Rice’s novels that can clue us into some likely source material.
‘Merrick’s Main Character Searches for Lestat and Louis
The first official plot crossover between the characters in The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels came with the 2000 release of Merrick. The story follows a Mayfair witch named Merrick, a relative of Rowan Mayfair, the main character in AMC’s Mayfair Witches TV series as well as the Lives of Mayfair Witches novels. Merrick is descended from Julien Mayfair, another character AMC has already introduced in the series. She is described as stunningly beautiful as well as a former member of the Talamasca. Just from her biographical information, there are already plenty of ways to bring her into the shows at any point. The actual novel also provides plenty of material to go off of, if AMC wanted to flesh out her history more.
The story at first follows Merrick as she is pursuing the vampire Lestat, Louis, and Talamasca member David Talbot. Lestat and Louis are trying to find Merrick, so she can help them resurrect their deceased daughter Claudia, who was executed by the vampire Armand. The event has damaged Louis’s relationship with Lestat, who eventually shoulders much of the blame for her death in later novels. Upon making contact with Merrick, the spirit of Claudia is communicated with and warns against resurrecting her much to the dismay of Louis. The remainder of the novel details the history between David Talbot and Merrick, as they knew each other well before Lestat and Louis ever did. What’s revealed later is that Merrick was using her witchy powers to draw Lestat and David to her because she wanted the Dark Gift of Vampirism, which she eventually gets.
Rowan Mayfair Cares for ‘Blackwood Farms’ Tarquin
Two novels after Merrick, Rice published Blackwood Farm in 2002. The novel would be the second major crossover of the characters belonging to The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches. The book follows the history of Tarquin Blackwood, a young man belonging to a powerful family in New Orleans. Tarquin recounts his personal history from finding out he is also a distant Mayfair relative, to becoming a prisoner of the ancient vampire Petronia — who eventually gives him the Dark Gift against his will, turning him into a vampire. Tarquin also details his love for Mona Mayfair, a young witch being looked after by Rowan Mayfair and Michael Curry at their medical center. Tarquin wants to marry Mona but can’t due to the fact she is getting progressively sicker, hence her constant treatment by Rowan.
All of these plot points are routinely interrupted by a malicious spirit that has haunted Tarquin since birth, named Goblin. The spirit is of his twin brother who had died shortly after being born. Goblin gets progressively more powerful and aggressive with Tarquin ever since Tarquin’s conversion to a vampire. At this point, Tarquin realizes he needs help to rid the spirit in order to claim his life for himself and be with Mona. He enlists the help of Lestat, who in turn recruits the powerful Mayfair witch Merrick to aid them. Merrick rids the spirit from Tarquin but has to sacrifice herself in the process. Tarquin is now the companion of the Vampire Lestat, and this is where the next crossover novel takes place.
Lestat Helps Tarquin in Anne Rice’s ‘Blood Canticle’
Picking up where Blackwood Farm left off, Blood Canticle focuses on the young Mona Mayfair. As described above, Mona has a progressive illness that is gradually causing her to become weaker and more sick. The illness was brought on by the birth of Michael Curry’s and Mona’s Taltos child Morrigan, which took place in the events of the novel Taltos. Mona is prevented from seeing the man she loves, Tarquin Blackwood, because of her illness reaching its final stages. To amend this, she brings roses to Tarquin’s bed and makes a case for Tarquin to turn her into a vampire in order for them to be together. Lestat does this instead in order for Tarquin to still be able to hear her thoughts, a power that goes away with those a vampire turns. Lestat then helps her hide her transformation for a time from the rest of her family as it causes some uneasiness.
The second part of the story focuses on Lestat, Tarquin, Mona, and an ancient witch-turned-vampire named Maharet, finding a remote island where the remaining Taltos are said to live. The group finds the island and realizes it is under constant conflict and civil war. They eventually convince the remaining Taltos members of the island to return to New Orleans with them and take shelter in the Mayfair Medical Center run by Rowan and her husband Michael Curry. Mona and Tarquin, now together and freed from the family dramas of the last two books, go to live with Maharet and learn about their place in the world as vampires. Since Mona, Lestat, Rowan, Michael Curry (who has been changed to Ciprien Grieves in the Mayfair Witches show), and Merrick are characters that span several novels both in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches and The Vampire Chronicles, fans of both are really just waiting to see if and how these Anne Rice characters may cross over.
The Big Picture
- The showrunners of AMC’s Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire have hinted at a potential crossover between the two shows, with shared characters and thematic Easter eggs connecting the two worlds.
- The novel Merrick serves as the first official plot crossover between the characters in The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches, featuring a Mayfair witch named Merrick who interacts with Lestat and Louis.
- The novels Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle continue the crossover, introducing Tarquin Blackwood and Mona Mayfair as key characters and delving into their relationships with vampires like Lestat and Merrick.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
