AMC’s Interview With The Vampire season 2 is set to recast a major character in the form of Bailey Bass’ Claudia. Based on the series of bestselling books from Anne Rice, AMC’s Interview With The Vampire season 1 saw a number of key changes made to the source material, including transforming Louis from an 18th century plantation owner into an affluent black man living in the racially divided era of 1910s New Orleans. Similarly, the role of Claudia was also reimagined as an African American teenager rather than the much younger version of the character originally played by Kirsten Dunst in the 1994 film.
Now, AMC has revealed (via Deadline) that Bass will not be returning to her role in Interview With The Vampire season 2, and Claudia will instead be played by British actress Delainey Hayles. While the exact reason Bass is unable to return for season 2 is unclear, Bass did release her own statement citing “unforeseen circumstances” and wishing her successor luck in the role moving forward. Check out her comments below:
Due to a variety of unforeseen circumstances I’m unable to return to Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire for the second season. Playing Claudia has been a dream role and an incredible ride. I wish Delainey the best of luck in taking over. I cannot wait to watch. I’m extremely appreciative of AMC, the producers, Jacob, Sam, the crew and, of course, the wonderful fans.
What To Expect From Interview With The Vampire Season 2
Interview With The Vampire season 1 ended approximately half-way through the original book’s story, with Claudia and Louis turning on Lestat in an attempt to kill him and free themselves of his influence. The series finale also made the surprising twist of revealing Louis’ modern-day assistant Rashid as none other than the ancient vampire Armand, the character once played by Antonio Banderas in the 1994 film. As such, season 2 is now poised to explore Louis and Claudia’s journey to Europe and their discovery of the vampire coven that boldly operates as the Théâtre des Vampires.
Recently it was also revealed that the role of Santiago, the Théâtre des Vampires’ leading thespian, would be played by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s Ben Daniels. Those familiar with the original book or the 1994 film will know that Santiago and his fellow vampires ultimately set upon Louis and Claudia for the crime of attempting to kill their maker. Imprisoning the former and leaving the latter to die in the rays of the sun, Louis is later freed by Armand and helps him to enact his revenge on the coven.
While these same plot points are widely expected to form the basis for Interview With The Vampire season 2, the show’s dramatic change in time periods is also bound to have a significant impact on events. Where the book saw Louis and Claudia encounter the Paris coven during the 19th century, AMC’s series will see the pair arrive in Europe as it is gripped in the middle of World War II. Exactly what impact this, or Claudia’s surprise recasting announcement, will have on season 2 remains to be seen, though it will be interesting to see what Hayles brings to the role.
Source: Deadline