The planned series based on Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles” is no longer in the works at Hulu, Variety has confirmed. According to sources, Rice and her team are once again shopping her intellectual property — but this time as a much larger TV package, and as a complete buyout of the TV/film rights.
According to one insider, the new package being shopped includes both “The Vampire Chronicles” and also Rice’s “Mayfair Witches,” which is currently set up at Warner Bros. The asking price is said to be around $30 to $40 million, in addition to a $2.5 million buyout of Warner Bros.’ rights. In exchange for the huge upfront fee however, the new owner will hold the rights in perpetuity, and not just as an option.
The Hollywood Reporter have confirmed that two years after being put in development, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles TV series has found a home.
In a competitive situation with multiple outlets pursuing the drama, Hulu has landed Vampire Chronicles. The streamer, home to Emmy darling The Handmaid's Tale, has put the drama in development.
Thanks to Darthlocke4 for the heads up.
First off, we learned from Anne herself that Hannibal and American Gods exec producer/writer Bryan Fuller is no longer involved with the project as he “chose to move on” this past February. While we are big fans of Fuller around these parts, there was a small part of me that wasn’t quite sure he was the right guy for The Chronicles so I remain optimistic that this small hiccup will result in even bigger and better things in the future.
You landed Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. What's the long-term goal for that property?
We bought 11 novels as part of the Vampire Chronicles initiative. Bryan Fuller is working with Anne Rice and [her son] Chris, who are writing the pilot. We are hoping he chooses to stay on and potentially showrun.
Also, the Rices clarified that only eleven books from the Vampire Chronicles from the fourteen volume series will be included. This is because the novels Merrick (2000), Blackwood Farm (2002), and Blood Canticle (2003) include characters from Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches series of books, which is part of a separate media deal at the moment. Chris Rice described the contents of those books as being “frozen.”
Thanks to DarthLocke4 for the heads up.
“It is undeniable that Anne Rice has created the paradigm against which all vampire stories are measured. The rich and vast world she has created with The Vampire Chronicles is unmatched and sophisticated with 90’s gothic undertones that will be perfectly suited to captivate audiences,” said Amy Powell, President, Paramount TV. “The series is full of compelling characters led by Lestat, arguably one of the greatest original characters, literary or otherwise.”
“Together with our partners at Paramount Television, we are embarking on a fantastic journey with Anne and Christopher Rice to bring Anne’s unparalleled imagination to television at the moment when the medium is experiencing a global apex in the demand for the most outstanding, exciting and heightened premium dramatic programming”, says Anonymous Content’s David Kanter.