Earlier this month, New York Comic Con (NYCC) took over the Javits Center, running from Thursday, October 9, to Sunday, October 12. Famous for being one of the largest pop culture gatherings on the East Coast, the convention celebrates a diverse array of genres, art forms, and fandoms. With a spotlight on comics, film, television, gaming, anime, and literature, NYCC brings in fans and creators from diverse entertainment sectors. Throughout the four-day event, attendees enjoyed exclusive panels, autograph sessions, an expansive exhibition floor, sneak peeks, and memorable cosplay events. One such franchise that brought in a fully packed panel and presence was AMC Networks’ Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe.
On Friday, October 10th, the panel welcomed the cast and executive producer of the highly praised and award-winning series Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat to the Main Stage. This season centers on Lestat de Lioncourt as he enters his rockstar era. The panel showed an exclusive preview of the show’s return in 2026. Executive producer Mark Johnson, writer Hannah Moscovitch, along with cast members Sam Reid (Lestat), Jacob Anderson (Louis de Pointe du Lac), Eric Bogosian (Daniel Molloy), Assad Zaman (Armand), and Jennifer Ehle (Gabrielle de Lioncourt), shared exciting updates with moderator Holbrook.
We covered the first preview for season three of Interview with the Vampire (now called The Vampire Lestat) and the debut trailer of Talamasca: The Secret Order during San Diego Comic Con ‘25. Staying loyal to our fellow vampires, First Comics News is bringing you a glimpse behind the characters, themes, and inspirations for the new season.
Panel Recap
During the Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe panel, fans were given more than a taste of what is to come with The Vampire Lestat. With season three’s tone shift, Mark Johnson (producer, Interview with the Vampire) got to embrace the rock-star setting by filming performance scenes and creating an entire music world with Daniel Hart (composer, Interview with the Vampire).
“What Rolin, Hannah, and this cast have come up with in this season is so unpredictable and surprising. On one hand, it makes total sense using characters that we know and love, but it is the most majestic, wild, unexpected, jaw-dropping, and funny, and yes, like the first two, really romantic.” – Mark Johnson
An extended first look at the newest season, set to premiere in 2026, was shown on the screens, not once but twice!
Hannah Moscovitch then delves into the various books, references, and scenes that the team drew inspiration from to shape the narratives of Lestat, Louis, and Gabrielle in this universe.
“We pulled from a number of books in order to make this season. We pulled from Merrick and The Vampire Armand, Queen of the Damned. But in terms of what we chose with The Vampire Lestat to use this season, because we’re running it through the subjectivity of Lestat, it has to do with what he wants to remember, what he’s willing to remember, and then what memories are going to come for him, whether he likes it or not.” – Hannah
Holbrook notes that these events all happened before the idea of a ‘thropple’ or a love-triangle was a thing, but wonders if such an idea ever bounced around in the writer’s room, to which Hannah states:
“No. I don’t think anyone likes each other very much right now.” – Hannah
However, writing these characters within this new space is a great pleasure for her.
“This season reinvents them completely, and the season itself is erratical. We’ve changed the lead character, and the whole story is run through a different perspective now. We had a moody existentialist (Louis), and now we have a trainwreck, a hot hurricane. And it’s just a really different way to write.” – Hannah
This led to the announcement that everyone has been waiting for, with The Vampire Lestat casting their Queen of the Damned. Akasha will be played by Sheila Atim, who has previously collaborated with Sam Reid (Lestat) on the theater stage during Girl from the North Country. Other actors announced to take part in Lestat’s band are Noah Reid as Larry, Sarah Swire as Tough Cookie, Seamus Patterson as Alex, and Ryan Kattner as Salamander.
From The Same Cloth
Jennifer Ehle was given a beautiful welcome by the audience, all too eager to know about Gabrielle’s character, who was unveiled at the San Diego Comic-Con panel. Gabrielle embodies a fierce and chaotic spirit, perfectly fitting the image of what one might expect from Lestat’s mother. With a shared penchant for being headstrong and problematic, fans are both excited (and perhaps a bit apprehensive) about the dynamics between Lestat and Gabrielle.
Holbrook raises the question of pronunciation: why Gabrielle (gah-bree-EL-lah) vs. Gabrielle (gah-bree-EL)?
“Rolin just texted me and said she’s Italian, shouldn’t it be ‘Gabrielle’ (EL-lah), and I said, sure. And she creates chaos. She thrives in creating it. I think she’s had so little agency in her life, and she was married at 15 to somebody she didn’t choose, and it was horrible. She had no hope. But she had this boy (Lestat), and had her hopes in him. In a really f**ked up way. And then she becomes a vampire, and she is liberated and has power in a way that she never would have dreamt. Or, well, she did dream of but didn’t think it was possible.” – Jennifer Ehle answers while summarizing her character.
Sam Reid once described Gabrielle’s character as “dynamite,” and when asked how both actors could describe their dynamic, they both agreed it is quite “f**ked up.”
“I actually ask myself that question every day. I feel like we were having that conversation every day, “What is this dynamic?” And it is as complicated as you could possibly imagine. And the wonderful thing that is very present in the books, […] is the attempt to go ‘But I’m a vampire. So, everything’s kinda fine. Because I’m a monster, and that’s fine.” And there’s this thing about ‘the longer you live, the closer you become to who you really are,’ and I guess their dynamic is there is a fundamental relationship that is the core of who they are, but they’re also a lot of other things.” – Sam Reid
Hannah Moscovitch hints that Louis and Gabrielle might encounter each other in the upcoming season.
New York Comic Con will return in 2026, but while fans wait, they can check out Wondercon and Anime NYC, a more accessible and equally exciting alternative. New York Comic Con returns October 8-11, 2026. For updates and ticket information for both events, be sure to sign up on their official websites!
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