AMC’s Interview with the Vampire is stepping into a new era — and a new name. The upcoming third season will officially be titled The Vampire Lestat, and the network just dropped major casting news at New York Comic Con.
BAFTA-nominated actress Sheila Atim (The Woman King, The Underground Railroad) has been cast as Akasha, the legendary first vampire — the same role Aaliyah immortalized in the 2002 film Queen of the Damned. Known as The Great Mother, Akasha is considered the source of power for all vampires, the ancient queen whose bloodline connects to every immortal, including Lestat himself. She was name-dropped at the end of Season 2 when Lestat told Armand, “I have the blood of Akasha in me,” teasing her eventual arrival.
Joining Atim in Season 3 are Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek) as Larry, Ryan Kattner (Destroy All Neighbors) as Salamander, Seamus Patterson (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities) as Alex, and Sarah Swire (The Boys) as TC — an abbreviation for Tough Cookie, one of Lestat’s bandmates from Anne Rice’s novel.
Based on Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, the new season follows Lestat (Sam Reid) as he sets out to “tell his story” in the most dramatic way possible — by forming a rock band and taking his truth on tour. AMC teases:
“Returning in 2026, season three of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire will feature the Vampire Lestat headlining as the most immortal rockstar the world has ever seen.”
Atim’s casting marks a defining moment for the series, expanding the scope of AMC’s Immortal Universe while reintroducing one of Anne Rice’s most powerful and mythic characters.
The series also stars Jacob Anderson, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman, Jennifer Ehle, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Damien Atkins, with Rolin Jones serving as showrunner and Mark Johnson executive producing.
The Vampire Lestat will premiere on AMC in 2026.