Sam Reid as The Vampire Lestat. Image: AMC Global Media
With less than a month to go before the premiere of The Vampire Lestat, AMC has been dropping delectable morsels all over the internet for eager fans to gobble up. The latest breadcrumb – nay, a whole damn loaf of bread! – was an “unauthorized” trailer revealed on Eric Bogosian’s Instagram with “Daniel Molloy – Do Not Distribute” written as a watermark across the screen. The Vampire Lestat extended look features new footage and more clues about the new season and it’s packed with juicy tidbits.
Watch the extended look at The Vampire Lestat
21* things I noticed in The Vampire Lestat extended look
Every frame of the extended look trailer offers something to ponder. I set out to capture the top 21 things I noticed purely for sanity’s sake. There’s a lot to take in…
1. Daniel (Bogosian) and Lestat (Sam Reid) are doing the interview, which closely follows the iconic first few lines of Anne Rice’s 1985 book with a few modifications…namely, Jefferson Starship.
2. Why is Daniel laughing at Lestat? Note that Lestat doesn’t seem amused at his reaction.
3. Ravel’s “Bolero” provides the soundtrack to the trailer instead of one of Lestat’s original songs (composed by Daniel Hart). Its melody starts slow and then builds, no doubt foreshadowing how relentless this whole season is about to be.
4. As Daniel asks Lestat about his past, we see Lestat in his red cloak walking through Paris toward a familiar looking violinist…
5. The flashback to Lestat’s arrival in New Orleans is one of many nods to 1994’s Interview with the Vampire.
6. Nice juxtaposition of Lestat on stage in 1800s Paris and his vantage point on the tour bus. Lestat has always been a performer.
7. Joey Chestnut? Lestat’s non sequitur about the competitive hot dog eater throws Daniel off his game.
8. Lestat’s avoidance of the big question: “Do you kill people?” Clearly he’s doing his part to “cultivate local economies” at the strip club…and he shows off those preternatural reflexes with a great catch.
9. Newly reborn Daniel wants to know why Lestat is wasting his time as an immortal by singing “music no one wants to hear” as we see images of Lestat performing on stage. Clearly Lestat’s motivation runs so much deeper.
10. The guy in the shower looks very familiar….
11. Failure! The angry voice keeps repeating the word “failure” throughout the trailer at really interesting moments, with the first moment being Lestat talking about expressing himself.
12. “Everything dies.” Again, lots of foreshadowing. And is that Real Rashid (Bally Gill)?
13. Daniel wants to talk about Lestat’s mother, the vampire Gabriella (Jennifer Ehle). Not only do we see Gabriella in the past, but we see her in the present as she says her maker “called for his mama” and she came. And came. And came. Yes. Gabriella is going to be fun to watch.
14. Both Daniel and Louis (Jacob Anderson) react to Lestat’s relationship with his mother. Lestat tries to deflect Louis’ question with an explanation of female anatomy but Louis doesn’t want to hear it.
15. “Taylor and Travis!” Daniel’s nickname for Lestat and Louis is ironic and fitting, but more importantly it highlights the fact that Lestat and Louis are spending time together and that’s a great thing for Loustat fans.
16. “Is it true you were a stutterer as a child?” Young Lestat gets mocked by his older brothers for his speech impediment. Just wait until he gets a little older….
17. Lestat doesn’t think people care about his past, to which Daniel suggests that people don’t care about him now, pointing to the small venues and smaller crowds that show up at his performances. This only angers Lestat even more.
18. Lots of screaming from a lot of very interesting people. Nicki (Joseph Potter). Marius (Christopher Heyerdahl). Claudia (Delainey Hayles).
19. “We’re doing a rewrite.” The perfect way to sum up Lestat’s motivation for the music, the tour and, ultimately, his response to Daniel’s book.
20. Armand (Assad Zaman) finally shows up. He’s in the crowd at a concert and he’s talking to Daniel and giving major Devil’s Minion vibes. “Missing the psychodrama of Dubai?” Lestat loves getting under Armand’s skin. But what’s up with the machete? And the head being lopped off…
21. Louis is looking for Killer. That is going to be fun to see.
OF COURSE WE’RE NOT STOPPING AT 21 BECAUSE THERE ARE WAY MORE THAN 21 THINGS TO TALK ABOUT!
22. Daniel is bowling. Whatever that is, it looks like fun.
23. Louis is covered in blood. What’s he up to?
24. Magnus (Damien Atkins) saying “failure” as “Bolero” builds in intensity.
25. Lestat being dragged against his will.
26. Lots of name calling directed toward Lestat, which is understandable considering how long he’s been alive and all of the people he has met over the years.
27. Hazy view of Armand. Always nice to see more of him, not going to lie.
28. Claudia calling Lestat a “little bitch.”
29. The music reaches a fever pitch as more and more voices combine to heap insults upon our dark hero, who seems to be struggling under the pressure.
And, finally…
30. Queen Akasha’s (Sheila Atim) hand tapping on her tomb.
So that was quite the extended look. For now, it’s anyone’s guess what all of this means. We know what could happen based on the original source material, but we also know that Rolin Jones and his legendary team have built a whole new world around that source material and that means all bets are off. We can only sit back and wait for answer to roll out once the season begins.
What caught your eye in the trailer? What are you looking forward to in the new season? Let us know in the comments!
The Vampire Lestat premieres Sunday, June 7, on AMC and AMC+. Be sure to check out the recently released fourth single, “Butterscotch Bitch,” which joins Reid’s performances of “Long Face,” “All Fall Down” and his cover of the Billy Idol classic, “Dancing With Myself.”
