'Interview With The Vampire' was released in 1994...

And it took SIX YEARS for Warner Brothers to finally persue another film!

'Interview With The Vampire' was the movie that started it all.

Finally, the first volume of 'The Vampire Chronicles' had been translated to the big screen and most fans thought it was a valiant attempt.

Apparently, so did Anne Rice. Of course, at first, she wasn't entirely pleased. They altered the script she'd written and the casting wasn't her choice at all. However, as it turns out, Anne loved the cast (especially Tom!) and, while it wasn't exactly how she would have made it, she definitely appreciated the end result.

Satisfied fans expected this to be the beginning of a film series based on Anne Rice's 'The Vampire Chronicles'. However, it was not until the year 2000 that a definite project finally went ahead...

Fans will recognise that Warner Brothers decided to skip 'The Vampire Lestat' and move straight on to filming 'The Queen of the Damned'. As it turns out, the two books were actually somewhat combined, although the main emphasis is obviously on 'Queen of the Damned'. As a result of attempting to combine two books, many important details have been left out. Details have also been left out to make way for a series of dramatic alterations, such as the love story concept between Lestat and Jesse. It seems obvious that this relationship has been added to better appeal to a 'younger' audience. Trying to make the film teenage-orientated seems inexcusable. However, I do believe that Warner Brothers have their reasons...

What could they possibly be, you ask?

Well, after some careful consideration of all I have read, I have devised the following:

1) The studio has admitted that it thought the novel 'The Queen of the Damned' was easier material to work with than, say, 'The Vampire Lestat'. There's more action, a rock concert, and lots more characters to keep the audience interested. They knew that creative liberties could be taken in order to expand on these factors and better aim the material towards the general public - in particular, the younger generation. Film-makers probably thought the movie would  be easy to put together, not too expensive, and produce a guaranteed profit no matter how it turned out.

2)  None of the original cast is returning. I assume this is because film-makers wanted to start afresh with brand new younger actors. Also, with such a small budget, they would not have been able to afford Tom Cruise let alone the others! In a way, I'm glad they're not filming 'The Vampire Lestat' for this reason alone. I loved Tom Cruise as Lestat, and I'd love to see him return, but that's just not going to happen. Instead, Warner Brothers is reworking everything and heading towards a storyline danger zone...

''The Queen of the Damned' allowed the studio to start afresh with a new cast and crew. However, although the film is not really a sequel, it is being marketed as one. Many people who saw 'Interview With The Vampire' may find it hard to let go of the images of Tom Cruise as Lestat, and perhaps even Antonio Banderas as Armand. Louis and Claudia are not featured this time around, and the remaining vampires are new to the big-screen, so there will be not confusion there. But I think people may have trouble adapting not only to the brand new actors, but also to the altered adaptations of the vampires in general.

We must remember that, whenever a book is translated to the big screen, some things are always left out, while other things that were never even featured in the novel might be added. It's all about the effect that the director wants from the film. The character line-up will be amazingly altered, and so will the story.

3)  The year 2000 was the final year in which Warner Brothers had the exclusive film rights! They'd had many years to work on a follow-up film to 'Interview' but, in 1999, they suddenly seemed to realise that there was only a very short time to go until the rights reverted back to Anne Rice! Hence 'Queen of the Damned' was finally on its way...

Like I mentioned above, as much as I hope this movie will work, I do fear that it will be subject to repeated comparisons with the first film, 'Interview With The Vampire'. This 1994 film was a moderate success, and so many people, even those who haven't read the books, are familiar with the concept. As a result, people are bound to get confused. Everyone is expecting a sequel, but I do not think of this film of a sequel at all. It is a follow-up film loosely based on a Chronicle, but that is where all similarities end. This film will be very different to 'Interview'. It will also be very different from the book. It will present a completely new perspective of the vampires.

Remember that 'Interview' took some creative liberties as well. In the final scenes with Lestat and Malloy in the convertible, it appeared that Lestat would be the one to transform Daniel! We know this is not true in the books. Similarly, in 'Queen of the Damned', it will be Marius who transforms Lestat instead of Magnus. These changes may simplify the plot(s), but it does create much confusion. People will expect some continuation from the first film, but there will be none. New actors, new story, no reference to what happened to Louis and we won't find out what happened to Daniel either. Fans are confused enough! I can only wonder how general audiences will react to all these changes and alterations?

The best advice I can give people is this. Try to treat 'Queen of the Damned' as a separate movie altogether. It will be totally unrelated to 'Interview With The Vampire'. It will be completely different from all of Anne's novels. Yes, it will have the title 'Queen of the Damned', and among the opening credits we may even see the name Anne Rice. However, this project has been written from the perspective of Scott Abbott and director Michael Rymer. As it is a Hollywood feature, many liberties have been taken. Characters have familiar names, but they are not the characters depicted in the books. They have been altered to suit the style of this film. The story has also been dramatically changed. The plot is only very loosely based on some parts of 'The Queen of the Damned', and even a tiny bit of 'The Vampire Lestat'. However, most of the story has been fabricated (most notably, the Lestat/Jesse relationship). We must accept that this film will depict a brand new outlook on the vampires.

If we keep all this in mind and try not to make too many comparisons, perhaps people will give this movie a chance? Many people are fearful of the outcome, while some are excited and remain hopeful. My thoughts are somewhere inbetween. I am extremely curious about how this movie will turn out. Judging by the information so far (and remembering what I said above), things generally look promising. I have been following this movie's progress since February 2000. The closest I got to the actual filming was at the Death Valley Concert shoot on December 1st, 2000. That was a magnificent night, and my anticipation for the film was given a massive boost... I do hope this film will be a success.

Shooting has now been completed and the movie is currently in post-production. Whether people like it or not, 'Queen of the Damned' is most definitely on its way! The movie is due to be released in 2002... How will people take to this new Hollywood perspective of vampirism? What rating will it receive? How well will it do at the worldwide box office? How will this film be received by fans, critics and the general public alike? Only time will tell...

Special thanks to Moyra's Web Jewels for their contribution to this site!