Here’s everything you need to know about The Order of the Talamasca.
Earlier this week, AMC announced that third series in their Anne Rice Immortal Universe based upon the works of the late author, The Talamasca, had officially been greenlit at the network. The series, set to center on the secretive society of the same name, has a tentative premiere date for some time in 2025 and is set to be executive produced by The Blind Side’s John Lee Hancock and The Right Stuff’s Mark Lafferty, who will serve as co-writers with Hancock directing. For fans of not only Rice’s works but AMC’s Interview With the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, the announcement of The Talamasca is major news as the organization not only plays a significant role in Rice’s novels but has already been set up within the Immortal Universe — most recently with the introduction of Raglan James in Season 2 of Interview With the Vampire. But what exactly is the Talamasca? Here’s what you need to know.
The Talamasca By the Book
In Rice’s books, the Order of the Talamasca is a secret society that has been around for centuries and likely even longer. First introduced in The Queen of the Damned, the Talamasca is originally said to have been formed by the ancient vampire Teskhamen (also known as the God of the Grove) along with others (specifically Heskreth and Gremt). The society, which has offices known as “motherhouses” all around the world and exist to observe and research supernatural entities and the paranormal in the world — which includes closely monitoring and sometimes working with vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts, and more. Most members of the Talamasca have some sort of psychic or magical gift themselves, but they aren’t officially supposed to involve themselves in matters of the supernatural. Their motto is “We watch and we are always here,” though just how involved or uninvolved they are varies.
In the novels, while there are numerous members of the Talamasca, there are three main agents that come up. David Talbot is an elderly member of the order who becomes Superior General and even befriends Lestat at some point. There is also Aaron Lightner who is first introduced The Queen of the Damned but is most involved in the stories of the Mayfair Witches. He and David are also connected with another significant member of the Talamasca, Merrick Mayfair, a member of the Mayfair family from a distanced line, Merrick is taken in by David and Aaron and the Talamasca as an orphan and later becomes a full member. A fourth, Talamasca adjacent character, Raglan James, also factors into the books as James was a former Talamasca agent who was also a kleptomaniac and conman and was eventually thrown out of the organization. The character is the central antagonist of The Tale of the Body Thief.
As for how the Talamasca has already been introduced in AMC’s Immortal Universe, Raglan James was introduced in Season 2 of Interview With the Vampire while the organization plays a much larger role in Mayfair Witches. One of that series’ main characters, Ciprien Grieve is a combination of novel characters Michael Curry and Aaron Lightner and is an agent of the Talamasca assigned to Rowan Mayfair.
What AMC is Saying About The Talamasca
“This is a story we’ve been developing and wanting to tell from the earliest moments of this franchise, focused on a fascinating and compelling secret society that has already appeared in both of our existing Anne Rice series, the Talamasca,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “As with all of these shows, we are thrilled to have such a high level of talent involved, represented here by John Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty, and of course working closely with producer Mark Johnson as the creative head of our Anne Rice Immortal Universe.”
“This all started for me with a call from Mark Johnson, who asked if I’d ever heard of the Talamasca,” added Hancock. “I was intrigued by the idea of an organization that, to me, had more than a passing resemblance to the CIA or MI6, which are necessary but not always necessarily transparent. An organization with its own secrets. Thankfully, Dan McDermott liked the take and so did Mark Lafferty, who is so talented and accomplished in the world of television. Many thanks to everyone from Gran Via to Mark Lafferty, to our talented writers and everyone at AMC, who have been supporters, advocates and cheerleaders from day one. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be involved and look forward to presenting a third series in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe.”
Season 2 of Interview With the Vampire airs Sundays on AMC. Season 2 of Mayfair Witches is expected in 2025.
