As AMC continues to bring Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe to life with sexy and thought-provoking series like Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, fans of both titles can’t help but wonder at what point the two series are going to connect with each other. While a crossover between the two series has already been teased, the answer may be more complicated than it seems, especially since there are three other projects in development.
During an interview with our own Christina Radish, executive producer Mark Johnson spoke about how the team of producers behind the franchise are working together to connect the Immortal Universe, while also making sure that each entry has its own voice. With the first two series, we can already see how they differ—in tone and style—but we can also see where they might intersect. Johnson, however, explains that making the connections between the series doesn’t come easily, saying:
“Let’s face it, they’re radically different. They’re almost for different audiences, which is one of the appeals of Anne Rice. […] It’s a real challenge. You don’t want to force them together. But at the same time, you have to say, ‘Okay, what does Interview have to do with Mayfair Witches?’ At first look, not a lot. They primarily take place in New Orleans, and there’s a sense of the mystery of New Orleans and the fact that New Orleans is probably the least American, American city there is. But how does that all work? One of the things we talk about with all the sets of writers is, ‘Is there a character that we can introduce in one show, who appears in the other show? Other than just a couple of locations that are gonna repeat, how are they connected?’ It’s a genuine challenge, which I welcome. We just have to be careful, so that it’s not inorganic.”
Witch Stories are a Comment on the History of Women
Johnson also championed the work of Mayfair Witches' showrunners, Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford. The first two episodes of the series have already hinted that the supernatural story has a lot to say about how women are treated, and he suggests that, at their core, witches' stories have always been about that. As Johnson explained, “What Michelle and Esta are doing is digging into the fear of women, knowledgeable women, competent women, women who are all of a sudden doing things that men thought only men should be doing. So, the more that we can adapt that into a modern world, the more that the challenge appeals to me.”
As the title makes clear, Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches is another adaptation that hails from the series of novels written by late best-selling author Anne Rice. The writer created the extensive Immortal Universe, which features over fifteen novels, and it seems like AMC has plans to bring all of that to life. The cast of the series features Alexandra Daddario, Jack Huston, Tongayi Chirisa, Beth Grant, Jan Richards, Hannah Alline, and Harry Hamlin.
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches debuts Episode 3, titled "Second Line," this Sunday, January 22. You can watch a trailer for Season 1 below: