Anne Rice’s upcoming TV series The Vampire Chronicles may have lost its showrunner when Bryan Fuller (American Gods, Hannibal) departed the project last May, but that hasn’t stopped Hulu from proceeding forward with the project.
After optioning the rights to the highly successful 11-book series, Paramount TV and Anonymous Content plan to bring even more blood-sucking goodness into our lives with new showrunner, Dee Johnson.
Christopher Rice, son of Anne Rice, broke the news on The Vampire Chronicles Facebook page by saying:
Christopher here, with an exciting update about our show. Let me start by thanking all the supporters of our ongoing journey to bring The Vampire Chronicles to television. And let me assure you that while we’ve been fairly quiet on social media of late, all the members of Team Vampire Chronicles have been working diligently behind the scenes as our development process intensifies. Today, I’m thrilled to tell you that after an exhaustive search, we’ve joined forces with the perfect showrunner, a woman of vast experience and impeccable professionalism who brings with her a deep respect for the material,” Rice wrote. “Say hello to Dee Johnson. Dee is a wildly talented and versatile writer/producer whose credits range from critically acclaimed dramas like BOSS to network hits like NASHVILLE, to the world-building, science-fiction odyssey, MARS. An openly gay woman of color, during her extensive years on name-brand shows like E.R. and THE GOOD WIFE, Dee championed the representation of minority characters, marrying diversity to smart and compelling drama and delivering it to millions of homes around the world.”
Rice later continued his praise of Johnson’s addition:
To The Vampire Chronicles, she brings with her a deep love of the material, a sterling reputation for professionalism and vast reservoirs of experience in all aspects of the television industry, ranging from creating worlds through green-screen to finding the perfect mix of elements needed to execute the complex visions of creators from other fields. In our first meetings with Dee, she spoke with moving eloquence and clarity about the characters and relationships that define this series, their outsider perspectives and their moral dilemmas – all the elements that make The Vampire Chronicles a probing exploration of cosmic and spiritual questions perfectly suited for adaptation in the era of peak T.V. Character and texture – those are the hallmarks of her creative approach as we chart Lestat’s origin story. Exploring the psychological complexity of our vampires, while ensuring the physical production beautifully depicts the elegant and rarefied way in which our vampires see and experience the world. The Vampire Chronicles are blessed to have added such a fine writer, accomplished producer, and loyal, steadfast creative partner.
While still very early in the planning, there is no doubt that if the show is merely half as popular as 1976’s Interview With The Vampire was – spawning the 1994 hit starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise – the studios are in for a very profitable and entertaining undertaking.
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