The soundtrack for The Vampire Lestat is so huge that viewers have only gotten a taste for what’s coming for the rocker vampire.
The Vampire Lestat is really season 3 of Interview With the Vampire, adapting Anne Rice’s classic bestseller for a new generation. The focus now is on Lestat (Sam Reid) living in the modern day. After his ex-lover Louis (Jacob Anderson) outs the world of vampires to writer Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian), Molloy wrote a book about it.
While most of the public considers it fiction, Lestat is upset about the way Louis portrayed him. So to seize the narrative, Lestat uses this new fame to become a rock star, with the public assuming he’s just playing a vampire character.
The season premiere featured Lestat performing in several concerts, a mix of covering older rock tunes and original songs, including on violin. These weren’t just filmed for the show itself, as Variety reports that the June 2 premiere party for the show at the Beacon Theatre in New York proves Reid is just as great a rocker in real life as his character is in the show.
Attendees gushed about Reid playing in full character and doing a fine job of it. The act is only part of the plans AMC has to promote the show, which includes the name change. AMC Global Media chief marketing officer Kim Granito explained to Variety that “People usually, by the time the third season of a show comes around, have decided already they’re probably not going to try it.”
However, Lestat is “an entirely new story told from an entirely different angle, from a story and a vibe perspective. So, giving it its own title and moment to relaunch the series felt like the right thing to do… If people potentially found Seasons 1 or 2, and it wasn’t for them, this is an entirely new angle.”
Taking inspiration from the source material, AMC is marketing Lestat as a real character. That includes recording over 20 songs, with five released so far on Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms. They include original songs “Long Face” and “All Fall Down,” which are created by series composer Daniel Hart.
Plans also include advertising in Times Square, the Sphere in Las Vegas, and perhaps more concerts which, like the one at the Beacon, may sell out fast.
“It wasn’t just about execution and where it shows up, it’s about tone and vibe and staying true to what the audience wants, but also how would a rock star show up in the world,” Granito explained “One of the things we really try to do, especially with the genre content we have, is not treat marketing as just straight promotion and really find on ramps for participation and experiential.”
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that we may eventually get a full-scale Lestat album and concert tour (depending on Reid’s schedule). It’s a wonderful way to blur the lines of reality and promote the show while letting Lestat fly his freak flag in full view of the world.
The Vampire Lestat airs new episodes Sundays on AMC and AMC+.
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