Lives of the Mayfair Witches series brewing at AMC as part of its 'Anne Rice universe'
AMC is conjuring up a new series from the works of Anne Rice — and with it, the ARTU. (That's the Anne Rice Televisual Universe, of course.)
As it develops a TV adaptation of Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels, the network is assembling a writers' room to "explore" the possibility of a show, according to a press release. While no Mayfair Witches pilot or series has been greenlit yet, AMC is angling for the series to be part of an "expanding Anne Rice universe," along with the previously announced Interview With the Vampire series premiering next year.
Masters of Sex alums Esta Spaulding and Michelle Ashford are on board as writers and executive producers for the brewing project, with Spaulding set to serve as showrunner if the series moves forward.
"We have an enormous amount of ambition for these iconic works, which have captivated and entertained millions of fans around the world, so it is gratifying to be moving so quickly from the Interview greenlight to exploring a second series with such talented and accomplished writers and creators as Esta and Michelle," Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios, said in a statement.
The three Mayfair Witches books follow the story of a young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must also contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations. Characters from the trilogy reappear in later entries from Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, which kicked off with Interview With the Vampire in 1976.
AMC purchased the rights to 18 of Rice's most famous works, including The Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair Witches series, last year. Rice and her son, Christopher, will serve as executive producers on all shows based on the author's books.
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