The Nerdist

⚡ Quick Take

• In season two of X-Men ’97, fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation might recognize these voices for three new characters as being from the Final Frontier.

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation might recognize three specific voices for new characters in X-Men ’97 season two. One of them they already revealed in the season one finale, but the other two are brand new to the series. It’s clear that the producers of X-Men ’97 are big Star Trek fans. And hey, we can’t blame them. We love Star Trek that much too. None of these Trek stars is a stranger to voice acting in animated projects, however. Here’s which Star Trek: TNG cast members have joined the X-Men ’97 world, and who they are playing:

Gates McFadden as Mother Askani/Rachel Summers Paramount Television/Marvel Television

In the first episode, “Days of Past Future,” Cyclops and Jean Grey follow the leader of Clan Askani, Mother Askani, in the year. This powerful mutant comes to life thanks to Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the series, Mother Askani is the (much) older version of Rachel Summers. She’s the future daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, who pulls her parents into the future to raise her brother Nathan.

Michael Dorn as Baal Paramount Television/Marvel Television

In the third episode, “The Rise of Apocalypse Part I,” we meet En Sabah Nur’s adoptive father, the warrior Baal. Appropriately enough, someone known for playing a similar role in Star Trek, Michael Dorn, voices this fearsome, barbaric fighter. He instills Apocalypse’s “survival of the fittest” philosophy into him. Famously, Dorn portrayed the Klingon warrior and Starfleet officer Worf in seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Not to mention four seasons of Deep Space Nine, five Star Trek films, and one season of Star Trek: Picard. Also, his IMDb for animated projects is quite long. You can hear his distinctive voice in shows like Invincible, Justice League, and many others.

John de Lancie as Pharaoh Rama-Tut (Kang) Paramount Television/Marvel Television

Finally, voicing the evil time-traveling Pharaoh from the far future, Rama-Tut is John de Lancie, the man behind the omnipotent Q in the Star Trek franchise. Q debuted in the very first episode of TNG, “Encounter at Farpoint,” and returned each season. Of course, Marvel fans know that Rama-Tut is a variant of Kang the Conqueror. With his futuristic technology, Rama-Tut is like a god to the ancient Egyptians he conquers. So it’s fitting that someone famous for playing a godlike being should portray him as well.

RELATED ARTICLE

All 7 Seasons of STAR TREK: TNG, Ranked

Will we see other Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in future episodes? It might be fun to get Patrick Stewart to pop up, given his strong X-Men franchise connections as Professor X. But now that all these old friends are in a recording booth, how about an animated Star Trek: TNG season 8? We’re sure all of the main actors would jump at the chance. We’re just putting that out into the universe. In the meantime, season two of X-Men ’97 drops new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

The post X-MEN ’97 Season 2 Brings in Several STAR TREK: TNG Actors appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• During a publicity event for the live-action MOANA, actor Dwayne Johnson mentioned talks of a third animated movie.

With its live-action adaptation of the 2016 movie on the way, Disney undoubtedly has Moana on the mind. At a promotional press conference for the movie, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who has played Maui in both the animated and live-action versions, mentioned discussions of a third animated Moana movie coming.

Walt Disney Animation Studio

When Johnson answered regarding the third movie, he seemed keen to pivot back to the upcoming live-action film.

“Yes, we have talked about ‘Moana 3,’ yes. But first, live-action ‘Moana,’ we’ll let that come out first.”

While Johnson reprised his role in the live-action version, Auliʻi Cravalho, Moana’s original voice actress, took a step back from the project. In an interview with TheWrap, she said, “It feels really important to me to pass the baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent.” However, she did still serve as an executive producer on the project.

Disney

That next young woman was Catherine Laga’aia, a Samoan Australian actress who beat 32,000 other contenders to the role. While she may be Moana in live-action, Variety expects Auliʻi Cravalho to return for the next animated installment.

Both the first and second animated movies were success stories for Disney, with Moana 2 grossing over $1 billion at the box office. Critic reviews put the movie squarely at 61%, but many fans overwhelmingly disagreed with an average audience rating of 85%. That and the sheer revenue it produced are a testament to the place the characters hold in the hearts of audiences.

After Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the first film’s score, stepped down for the second movie, it is uncertain who will take that helm for a third.

Many of the details about the third movie are unclear—all we know is that it exists—but the one sure thing is that the world is not done with Moana yet.

The post Dwayne Johnson Says MOANA 3 Discussions Are Happening appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Blue and Brown M&Ms will no longer be included in the company’s new artificial dye-free packs, starting in August.
• This comes in a wave of new food regulations affecting candy and snack brands.
• Until Mars finds a cost-efficient alternative, say goodbye to brown and blue.

If the blue or brown M&Ms were your favorite… start saying your goodbyes. As of August, new all-natural M&M packs will include only four of their iconic colors: red, green, yellow, and orange. In addition to two lost colors, Mars will stop using artificial dyes in M&Ms altogether.

Mars

Mars isn’t the first company to make the switch. With a controversial new Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, artificial dyes have begun disappearing from food products. From Nestle and Hershey in candy to Simply NKD (Doritos/Cheetos without the red 40), this health-conscious push is changing the snacking game.

But why brown and blue, specifically? According to a Wall Street Journal interview with the company, red, orange, yellow, and green were easy to recreate naturally. From beets to turmeric, there is no shortage of those colors in the natural world. However, brown and blue created problems. Mars said the substitute they were considering, a teal-ish algae called spirulina, is too expensive to buy en masse. For brown, the company has always mixed blue, red, and yellow dyes, which also becomes expensive to do.

This comes only 30 years after the public voted to replace the tan M&M (don’t ask me what Mars was thinking with that one) with blue. Candy-lovers were able to choose between blue, pink, and purple, and with a 54% vote, blue won.

The company hasn’t given up entirely. They are working to develop purple, brown, and blue dyes that work with their budget. The fortunate part is every M&M tastes the same (I don’t want to hear anybody negate that, it’s true), so despite a slightly less colorful variety, the signature chocolatey flavor isn’t going anywhere.

Artificial dye-free packs will begin rolling out in August. Until the company finds a good dye alternative for brown and blue, they will not appear in the new packages.

The post M&Ms Announces Discontinuation of Blue and Brown appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Beau DeMayo, the fired showrunner and head writer of X-Men ’97, speaks out against Marvel and Disney.
• DeMayo accused working for Marvel of being “not a safe space.”
• He was initially let go because of a sexual misconduct investigation.

Two years ago, Marvel fired its X-Men ’97 showrunner, Beau DeMayo, for (at the time) unknown reasons. That began a whirlwind of controversy, as DeMayo claimed the company fired him unjustly, and Marvel/Disney eventually revealed there was a sexual misconduct investigation. Since then, DeMayo became very vocal on social media, and did not take the high road when speaking about Disney/Marvel. He also sued the company. In a new report from Vanity Fair, (via Deadline), which hit just as X-Men ’97 dropped its first episodes of season two, DeMayo fired back once more. And he doubled down on his claim that Marvel fired him for having an OnlyFans account. Here’s what he had to say:

It was cleared. It was like, ‘It is your personal life. As long as you’re not advertising the show on your OnlyFans, as long as you’re keeping it very separate from the content of the show, it’s outside of their purview. It’s been very traumatic. I thought I was in a safe space, and then quickly found out that I was not in a safe space. My therapist is well employed.

Marvel Television

In addition, DeMayo claims he received disparaging remarks from Marvel employees. He claims he heard things like “Oh, you don’t look like a showrunner, you don’t look like a writer. There was that vibe that I was the DEI hire, where, ‘Oh, they just got a gay Black guy because he checks all the marks and it’s X-Men.'” DeMayo had earlier worked on the forever-in-development Blade reboot. But claims that his experience with X-Men ’97 was worse. He added, “Some of those racist, sexist, homophobic vibes that I was getting before Blade became much more explicit.”

For those who have watched the first episodes of X-Men ’97 season two, you can still feel DeMayo’s fingerprints on the series. He is one of the credited writers of episode three, “The Rise of Apocalypse: Part I.” He also retains an executive producer credit. We’ll likely notice his absence more in season three, which he had no hand in at all. In the meantime, the legal back-and-forth continues. So this is likely not the last we’ve heard about this situation. X-Men ’97 season two is now streaming on Disney+.

The post X-MEN ’97’s Fired Showrunner Speaks Out as Season 2 Drops appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• AMC’s The Vampire Lestat concert in NYC both created beautiful community and made the series come to life in ways we could only dream.

What is it that makes television shows, movies, books, comics, games, and other fictions so popular? Depending on the specifics of the story, there could be a plethora of answers to this question. But one of the most salient is that they offer us a special kind of dream fulfillment. The ability to step out of our mundane, normal worlds and into something beyond the human scope. They allow us to go on journeys that we could only dream of and experience a true kind of magic. As we explore these tales and fall in love with them, though, in our own worlds, another kind of magic tends to form as well. The magic of community. Though enjoying fiction won’t allow us to become an immortal undead, a superpowered entity, or an ageless elf, becoming a fan in a world of other fans is a beautiful transmutation all its own. And, in most cases, when we have fan events in our world, it’s that communal connection that is bolstered and grown. But somehow, through the vision and execution of The Vampire Lestat’s one-night-only concert in NYC, AMC managed to do the impossible; they both brought fans together to celebrate with one another AND they brought them directly into the world of the show. Or, more aptly, they brough the world of the show into our own. And, as a person who has been to a large number of fan events in my life, I can safely say that The Vampire Lestat’s concert has set a new standard, and an impossibly high bar, for fan events from here on out.

Nerdist

Picture this. It’s a warm, beautiful day in June. The Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side has neon signs on every inch of its facade, advertising that a real vampire will soon take the stage. An elderly gentleman stops me on the street and asks, “The Vampire Lestat? Are they new?” “Pretty old,” I tell him with a laugh, and then explain the conceit of the show and the performance. He’s interested to know more. Down the street, a line of thousands of people spills along New York City’s Riverside Park. Thousands. All of them are fabulously dressed, most in glitter, some in gothic finery, others in full costumes, fake blood and vampire teeth abound in the mass. Importantly, everyone is beaming. Everyone is excited. Thrilled. They’re being transported out of their lives and into the fantasy of the TV series they love so much. They’re also together, surrounded by hundreds of others who really see them. These fans, the Beautifully Unwell, as The Vampire Lestat has come to call them, are here together. They’ve been brought together for something they all want so much, and it’s a gift.

AMC Nerdist Nerdist

People have come from all over to see Lestat perform for the first time in our realm. The UK, Germany, France, LA, Canada, the Czech Republic, and all over the United States, just to name a few countries. Some have traveled without even knowing if they’ll have a ticket to The Vampire Lestat’s debut show. Beyond the ticket line, I know of at least three meet-ups that took place in the city so that visiting fans, who came to NYC ticketless, could taste this Great Convergence as well. I myself find a few dozen people I know from online interactions. My friends, whom I’ve never met before, whom The Vampire Lestat has brought into my life, a beautifully spun thread tying us together, now solidied by presence thanks to this concert. They ply me and all those around them with stickers, friendship bracelets, key chains, and other trinkets.

On the other hand, many people whom I’ve known for decades, from many different corners of my life in the city, are also here. And all around me, new friendships are forming. An incredible microcosm of hope and love in a world that can otherwise be so dark, and no one has yet played a note.

AMC

One of the biggest focuses of my work, throughout my journey from fan to fan/professional, has always revolved around the way creators and official sources engage with their fans and help bolster the fandoms that form around the work they create. Like the characters in many of the shows they love, fans who are attracted to ardent fandoms often have a great desire to be seen, to feel respected by the creators they feel. Selflessly, they pour themselves into the story, but it’s so much better when they know the story loves and supports them back.

AMC

At the end of the day, fans really long to be acknowledged by the properties they love, and when they feel that the admiration is mutual, their affinity to the property strengthens, AND that feeling also helps to form those beautiful bonds of friendship and community that I talk about above. In my opinion, when all of the variables alchemize together, a wonderous feedback loop of positivity forms and everyone feels uplifted. True light that can so rarely exist in our world comes to life. And no event I’ve attended has more fully realized this vision than The Vampire Lestat concert.

AMC

Immersion is increasingly common in fan activations and marketing today. But the fans waiting in line for The Vampire Lestat concert weren’t waiting in line just to see a nicely decorated space. They were literally waiting in line… To. See. The. Vampire. Lestat. A far-flung dream from the narrative come to actual existence. AMC did the impossible as they reached into the TV show The Vampire Lestat and pulled one perfect evening back out into our world. They wrote a love letter to fans like no other. In that moment, they heard their fans, they knew what they wanted, and they offered it to them. In short, AMC’s The Vampire Lestat truly saw its fans.

AMC

Inside the concert hall, there was a merch table, themed popcorn buckets, swag bags, and, exactly as on the tin, a real concert hall. A real concert hall that holds real concerts, which The Vampire Lestat filled with his songs. Sam Reid was every inch the rockstar in person and every inch Lestat. He left Sam at home and brought only the vampire to the stage. And then that concert magic really happened. That moment where the room goes from cold to warm, and the music descends on you, and true communion comes through sound.

The Vampire Lestat rose to life and sang in New York City that night.

AMC

And what an incredible, indelible experience. For one evening, we, the fans of The Vampire Lestat the series, fans of the actor Sam Reid, and fans of Lestat, the figure who is real to us through fiction, were sitting together with thousands of other fans, now friends, in a real theater to watch as all the things we love the most converged on stage. And converge they did, in the finest of fashions.

Nerdist

The Vampire Lestat concert was truly the pinnacle of all fan events. It brought the community together and bolstered it. It brought fantasy into reality. It made all our wildest dreams come true. Truly, the evening was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Nerdist AMC

Though, of course… We’re holding out for the world tour.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She was truly touched by Lestat’s music.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Concert Is the Pinnacle of All Fan Events EVER appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• PlayStation announced it will no longer produce physical discs as of 2028.
• Two fast food franchises posted jokingly on Twitter about offering “digital-only” meals.
• PlayStation also lost the rights to Studio Canal movies, meaning that users who bought those titles will no longer be able to access them.

PlayStation ceasing production of physical discs for games has been big news among gamers, and other companies have begun to respond to the decision. KFC Spain and Domino’s UK both posted on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, announcing “digital” menus as a joke.

Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sony, Domino’s Pizza

They continued to poke fun in the comments, with Domino’s posting: “At the same time, our much-loved ‘Domin-oh-hoo-hoo’ catchphrase will be updated to ‘Domin-oh-hoo-whose-dumb-idea-was-this’?”

Clearly, gamers are running these companies’ pages—gamers who will miss the gaming giant’s physical discs.

At the same time, our much-loved 'Domin-oh-hoo-hoo' catchphrase will be updated to 'Domin-oh-hoo-whose-dumb-idea-was-this'?

— Domino's Pizza UK (@Dominos_UK) July 2, 2026

It is certainly the end of an era. PlayStation consoles have had disc drives since their inception—longer than they have sold digital games, which began with the creation of the PlayStation store in 2006.

Whether collecting game discs is a hobby or you simply prefer buying physical games, that is coming to an end. In fact, PlayStation is kicking fans while they’re down this week. In addition to the loss of physical discs, users will lose access to 551 movies from PlayStation’s library. Sony recently lost the rights to titles by Studio Canal. Even if you “bought” the movie, it will disappear from your library without a trace. Don’t expect a reimbursement from Sony, either—just a pop-up with an explanation.

RELATED ARTICLE

PlayStation Will Cease Physical Disc Production by 2028

PlayStation users are experiencing disappointment after disappointment at the moment. However, some fans are taking the disc announcement as an indicator that PlayStation’s sixth console won’t come out until 2028. This seems to be a reasonable assumption, especially considering Sony still has not revealed a release date or price. This also means the PS6 could be their first console without at least an option with a disc drive.

If you plan to continue playing on PlayStation, you’d better get used to buying and accessing your games only digitally. Though, after what we are seeing with the Studio Canal movies, it does raise some questions about whether digitally-purchased items are ever truly yours—or safe.

The post KFC and Domino’s Respond to PlayStation Ending Disc Games appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The upcoming Ocean’s prequel film will star Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper and follows Danny’s parents in 1962.

Margot Robbie dropped some information about the Ocean‘s prequel film during CinemaCon 2026, and it has us very intrigued. The film, which still doesn’t have an official title quite yet, will take place at the crown jewel of the Formula One circuit, the Monaco Grand Prix. It will focus on Danny Ocean’s parents back in 1962. And yes, this Ocean‘s prequel movie will star Robbie as well as Bradley Cooper, presumably as Danny’s mom and dad. As previously reported, Cooper will write and direct this next installment in the franchise. Recently, Variety reported that Josh Gad will also start in the Ocean’s prequel film, with his role being significant yet a mystery at this time.

Warner Bros.

“Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows — his parents,” Robbie said at CinemaCon. “You’ll see them in their prime, and in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.”

Wagner Moura will portray the film’s villain, and Monica Barbaro is also joining the cast in an unknown role.

Originally published on April 15, 2026.

The post Josh Gad Joins OCEAN’s Prequel Cast in Major Role appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Most of Matt Smith’s House of the Dragon castmates did not know which incarnation of the Doctor he played nor what year his era started.

Long before Matt Smith wielded a sword and caused chaos in Westeros in House of the Dragon, he traveled through time and space in a blue box that’s bigger on the inside. Doctor Who fans and those who are into British TV in general are very familiar with his turn as the Eleventh Doctor from 2010 to 2013. Hilariously, most of Matt Smith’s House of the Dragon castmates did not know which incarnation of the Doctor he played nor what year his era started. 

During an ensemble cast interview via Vanity Fair, Smith put his HOTD comrades in the hot seat by asking them what number Doctor he was and what year did he make his debut. Fabien Frankel, who portrays Ser Criston Cole, was immediately loud and wrong, proclaiming that he was the Twelfth Doctor. That incarnation was played by Peter Capaldi. He also admitted that he somehow thought Matt was the Second Doctor previously. Matt Smith wasn’t even alive when that Doctor made his debut in 1966. 

He continued to be funny, saying the year was 2000 and guessing that Matt was 25 when he took on the role. Smith jokingly told him to “never ask a lady her age” in response to Frankel’s question about how old he is currently. Matt Smith will turn 44 in October 2026, and he was 26 when he came to Doctor Who. 

RELATED ARTICLE

Matt Smith Joins STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER in a Villain Role

Olivia Cooke wasn’t sure which number but she did correctly guess that his Doctor era started in 2010. Emma D’Arcy also correctly guessed that Matt Smith was the Eleventh Doctor, with Tom Glynn-Carney saying Twelve. Other cast members looked like deer in headlights and didn’t give an answer at all. When Matt Smith revealed the answers, Fabien Frankel responded with a swear while the others laughed.

BBC/HBO Max

It’s a funny clip that shows this cast’s camaraderie and chemistry that shines through on House of the Dragon. They may not know something that’s widely known about Matt Smith, but they do know that he continues to be legendary as Daemon Targaryen.

The post Most of Matt Smith’s HOTD Castmates Don’t Know Which Doctor He Played appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Episode two of The Vampire Lestat sheds some light on the vampire bond between Armand and Daniel and how it manifests. And it is ROMANTIC.

Unfortunately, the vampire Armand does not appear in episode two of The Vampire Lestat. And yet, his presence hovers intensely over the narrative as we finally spend an honest moment with his fledgling, Daniel Molloy. In the first couple of episodes of The Vampire Lestat, Daniel is in fine form. He busily needles at Lestat with an icy humor and a sharp tongue, guzzles blood from a hookah, and overall drips with snark and disdain as the tour’s resident lovable menace to society. Absolutely, though there’s not a trace of transformation trauma on Daniel. No sir. He loves being a vampire. But in episode two, we get a brief moment where Daniel’s walls drop, and we see a brush of what’s underneath, something yearning and vulnerable. And for Daniel, much to the delight of Devil’s Minion shippers, this The Vampire Lestat moment comes courtesy of Armand… Or at least the impact of the vampire bond that lives between Armand and Daniel. And yeahhh, to us, the way Armand and Daniel’s maker/fledgling connection manifests couldn’t be more romantic. (Note: This piece was written after episode two of The Vampire Lestat)

AMC

It’s hard being a vampire whose maker has abandoned you. Doubly hard when you broke your only vampire friend’s trust to publish a book about his life, and inadvertently caused yet another breakup for him. But the good thing about vampiric life is that it tends to be long. And Louis begrudgingly agrees to speak to Daniel again in The Vampire Lestat episode two. Only, we bet he wishes he didn’t when Daniel starts to wax poetically about his vampire bond with Armand, the vampiric equivalent of girl talk, we suppose… Except this time it involves Louis’ manipulative ex, who lied to him for over 70 years, so it’s not surprising he’s not too thrilled about the topic. We, however, are seated.

Vampirism might not be exactly what Daniel expected. #TheVampireLestat pic.twitter.com/6PgM2TeDf8

— The Vampire Lestat (@AMCsAnneRice) June 17, 2026

“I have this weird thing that happens where suddenly everyone around me disappears, like the rapture’s come… and I… You know, I feel him.” Daniel confesses to Louis, suddenly stripped of his cackling shrewdness and draped in wide-eyed helplessness. And phew, we have to hand it to Eric Bogosian, who plays Daniel; the delivery of these lines is absolutely crushing. For me, a person invested in this romantic relationship, it stabs me right in my heart. Daniel’s obvious loneliness, the hesitant way he clearly wants to talk about Armand and their vampire bond, but has been locking away the thoughts, even from, especially from, himself—all of that comes flooding to the surface in this brief moment. And the incredible skill it takes to make us feel every bit of Daniel’s vampiric infancy, the way he’s lost, looking for an anchor that isn’t there, we cannot say enough about it.

AMC

Also incredible is the deadpan, unimpressed way Jacob Anderson’s Louis delivers, “Armand?” in response to Daniel’s confession, making me briefly cackle. But Daniel presses on, self-depricating and wry, asking “Yeah…That happen with you and Lestat?” Louis confirms it didn’t. (“No. Sounds weird.”) And they move on. But I’m still stuck in that moment.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Of course, according to Louis in Interview with the Vampire season one, all vampires are connected to their makers in an intense, emotional way, and vice versa. Louis, not immune to poetic maker whims himself, describes his own connection with Lestat in the following gorgeous way. “The vampire bond. There is no human equivalent… It’s a bond that can never fully be severed. A bond like that makes you believe there are only two of you on the planet. Freedom and chastity wrapped in one person.” And, in season two of Interview with the Vampire, it’s implied that after Louis transforms Claudia’s companion, Madeleine, into a vampire, she can sense his feelings, and he can sense her presence and absence. While in both cases, a powerful tie exists, it does seem like Louis’ great love for Lestat makes his bond with his maker even stronger and more affecting.

AMC

Which leads us to Armand, Daniel, and the case of the missing universe. Because even though Louis notes his vampire bond with Lestat “[makes] him believe there are only two of [them] on the planet,” we guess he means that figuratively, not literally. Whereas Daniel seems to be indicating he’s experiencing… an actual falling away of reality that leaves only Daniel and the feeling of Armand in existence, when Armand isn’t even there… That we know of. That feels like a pretty powerful vampire bond to us. A bond of love, we might extrapolate? If it’s magnifying the impact of the maker/fledgling connection even beyond where Louis and Lestat’s bond lives, taking it into completely new territory.

We don’t yet know exactly how Daniel was turned in Interview with the Vampire, and it sounds like we may not know for certain until season four. We also don’t know whether fan theories based on Anne Rice’s books, which speculate that Armand and Daniel fell in love when Daniel was young, only for Armand to erase those memories at some point, hold any water. What we do know is that we can’t imagine anything more beautifully romantic and deliciously toxic than the whole world turning to nothing, leaving only Armand and Daniel in it, as a reflection of their vampire bond. Inject it. Put it in my veins.

RELATED ARTICLE

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Review: Devil’s Minion Edition

Weirdly, I’m reminded of Wanda and Vision from the MCU, who were meant to be the romantic heart of the franchise. And though I personally didn’t really super resonate with their love story, even I could see their most intense line was point-perfect. In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda has to destroy Vision, and as she does, he tells her that she doesn’t have to worry about him because, “I just feel you.” In a sense, it feels to me like Daniel isn’t really feeling much of anything at this point, but sometimes he just feels Armand.

All of this just over the ephemeral vampiric bond between Armand and Daniel, and the pair haven’t even shared a scene yet in The Vampire Lestat. I know I speak for many people other than myself when I say, “and then what happens?”

Update after Episode Four of The Vampire Lestat: Having seen the vampire bond between Armand and Daniel in action in The Vampire Lestat, I can affirm it is the most romantic thing ever. While Daniel might think that it’s messed up, the way the world wipes away around them, leaving Armand and Daniel as the only two people left in it, is truly gorgeous in the most haunted, and, okay, Daniel, messed-up way. But when we look at true fictional love, the idea of a bond being so strong that nothing else can withstand it is up there with all the other epic love stories. We hope, in time, Armand and Daniel’s vampire bond brings something important and powerful to them.

hey guys. remember how this is just canon now. armand loves daniel. that’s canon. pic.twitter.com/WqbeeoNmsb

— emma (@hucklesrobby) June 29, 2026

The Vampire Lestat releases at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to arrive.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is ready for Devil’s Minion to become canon so one of her ships can finally sail.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published on June 14, 2026.

The post The Manifestation of Armand and Daniel’s Vampire Bond Is SO Romantic (THE VAMPIRE LESTAT) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Interview with the Vampire season two finale gave fans a Daniel/Armand pairing straight from Anne Rice’s novels. Here, we provide context about the Devil’s Minion pairing from the books.
• Armand and Daniel’s relationship features in “The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire” from Queen of the Damned.
• AMC’s Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat series continue to adapt the pair’s tale.

The finale of Interview with the Vampire season two had quite the twist, one that continues to be critical as the series continues on in The Vampire Lestat. A flash forward showed the audience that the Vampire Armand (Assad Zaman) had turned the reporter Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) into a vampire, some time before or after published his interviews with Louis and Armand as a book. We still don’t know exactly how and when this happened… Or the full motivations behind it. It was implied to be an act committed more out of spite towards Daniel than out of love, but that’s not entirely certain at this point either. However, Armand making Daniel a vampire on Interview with the Vampire does have its origins in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series of novels.

AMC

In the novels, Daniel Molloy doesn’t even have a proper name until the third novel in Rice’s series, The Queen of the Damned. In the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire, the young reporter was simply referred to as “the Boy.” At the end of that first novel, he ran off, with Louis’ tapes in tow, hoping to find Lestat. In book two, The Vampire Lestat, we find out that the boy had the recordings transcribed and published as the book Interview with the Vampire. A recently reemerged Lestat discovered that his name and much of his life was put on public display for mortals, passed off as fiction. Yet we never learned what became of the young reporter until Rice’s third novel when we got ALL of the details.

“The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire“ from Queen of the Damned

In 1988’s Queen of the Damned, we learned in Part 1, Chapter 4, a chapter called “The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire” that the anonymous boy went searching for Lestat after his fateful interview with Louis in San Francisco in 1973. We also now had a proper name for him—Daniel Molloy. Lestat was slumbering at the time of Daniel’s search, and he didn’t find the undead French aristocrat. Instead, the Vampire Armand finds Daniel while he searches for Lestat, during a time when Armand made New Orleans his home. No other vampires lived there, as Lestat had long ago gone to sleep. Armand had “cleaned out” the city of any younger vampires. No one else dared to call New Orleans home at this time, as it was Armand’s territory.

AMC

Scanning Daniel’s thoughts upon encountering him, Armand discovered this young mortal boy knew his name, and his true vampiric nature, and became fascinated. He began stalking him, and no matter what city or country Daniel ran to, Armand would find him. At first, he casually threatened to kill him if he ever published his book. Yet he continued to allow him to live for his own amusement. Then something unexpected happened. After years of cat and mouse, Armand came to actually love the mortal Daniel. Even so, he constantly refused to give him the Dark Gift, no matter how much he begged.

Daniel, Armand, and the Night Island

Many years into their relationship, Armand decided to become “incalculably wealthy.” Using his knowledge of where old ships with treasure lay at the bottom of the ocean, he recruited Daniel, who now saw himself as “the Devil’s Minion,” to help him procure wealth. All while he was asleep during the day. With this fortune, Armand, with forged documents Daniel helped him create, purchased an island off the coast of Florida. Armand turned it into an entertainment and shopping paradise that came alive only after dark called The Night Island.

Armand and Daniel lived at Night Island for years in the Vampire Chronicles. Daniel had everything he wanted from Armand, the finest clothes, the newest cars, all except the one thing he wanted most—to become a vampire himself. However, when Daniel’s life was in danger, on one of the many instances when he would run away from Armand, the 500-year-old vampire gave him what he wanted at last, and turned him. As Armand feared, however, making Daniel a vampire would only serve to drive a bigger wedge between them.

Daniel and Armand in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire AMC

All we know from the AMC Interview with the Vampire series is that sometime after Daniel reveals to Louis the truth about Armand, and how he planned to let his Paris coven execute him along with Claudia, he turns Daniel into a vampire. But when did this happen? We don’t know yet. Do Interview with the Vampire‘s Daniel and Armand engage in a relationship similar to the one they had in the books? There doesn’t seem enough time for that intense love/hate relationship to have happened offscreen. Unless there is one further wrinkle to Daniel and Armand’s story that Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat is waiting to spring on us.

We know from episode five of season two of the series, that Armand encountered Daniel back in 1973, interrupting Louis almost killing Daniel. Not only encountered him, but very nearly killed him, and erased his memories of the event. Yet he clearly had a fascination with Daniel, and Interview with the Vampire leaves space for the possibility that the pair had a relationship decades ago. One that Armand could have then wiped from Daniel’s mind. After all, there is a limited series AMC announced called The Night Island. Could this series, at least in part, involve Interview with the Vampire‘s Armand and Daniel and their relationship? It is getting closer.

AMC+ Devil’s Minion in The Vampire Lestat

In The Vampire Lestat, Devil’s Minion is shaping up to become a true romance. In episode four of the series, Armand confesses his love to Daniel, a sentiment that even Armand did not fully intend to express. Assad Zaman tells us of the moment, “I think it comes out, it’s an honest confession that, ‘Yes, you can hate me, you can hate me for what I did. I manipulated you. I turned you, I did some fucked up shit, but that pretending to let you manipulate me… That’s not true. You think you were under my spell, actually, I was under your spell. That’s why you were able to free everyone,’ and maybe that’s part of it… So yeah, it’s a really tender moment that comes out.”

AMC

We also learn a little bit about Daniel’s turning, although we likely won’t see it in full until season four of The Vampire Lestat. And what we learn is that Armand turned Daniel on an airplane (in Newark) and then ran away. For whatever reason, he couldn’t wait until Daniel landed or got to NYC proper. Was Daniel dying the way he is in Anne Rice’s Devil’s Minion chapter in Queen of the Damned? We can’t yet say with certainty.

Additionally, we learn that Daniel and Armand’s vampire bond manifests in a unique, powerful way, even among vampires. Sometimes, when they connect, the whole world vanishes around them, literally, and they can only feel one another. We call that ROMANCE! Could that have to do with a secret past of Daniel drinking Armand’s blood? Again, we just don’t know.

Ultimately, there are lots of ways this story could go for Daniel and Armand, and we’re eager to see how Interview with the Vampire tackles this fan-favorite pairing going forward.

Originally published July 1, 2024.

The post The Book Inspirations Behind the Armand/Daniel Vampiric Pairing in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (And What ‘Devil’s Minion’ Really Means) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• On AMC’s The Vampire Lestat, the Brat Prince’s backstory is told out of sequence, but we present to you Lestat’s history chronologically to help you make sense of this season of the show.

The Vampire Lestat has premiered its first episode on AMC, adapting Anne Rice’s second novel in her Vampire Chronicles series. This 1985 book truly made Lestat a star, elevating his undead status next to the likes of Dracula. Sam Reid reprises his role from Interview with the Vampire, with his backstory from the novel told largely in a non-linear fashion. So to help guide you through these tangled narrative vines, we present the undead rock star Lestat’s canonical history, as told by Anne Rice in The Vampire Lestat. We start with his birth in the 18th century and follow him until he meets Louis de Pointe du Lac in New Orleans.

Alfred A. Knopf/Ballantine Books The Mortal Life of Lestat de Lioncourt in 18th Century France

The mortal Lestat de Lioncourt was born on November 7, 1760. That’s the same birthday as Anne Rice’s husband Stan, who the character of Lestat is physically based on. (Louis shares Anne’s birthday of October 4.)  He was born the son of an aristocratic lord in the French countryside, in a place called the Auvergne. His family long ago had spent all their wealth. Lestat’s father was a cruel tyrant who married a much younger heiress from Italy named Gabrielle. She gave birth to several sons for him, many of whom died in childbirth. The youngest, and the only one who took after her (and not his father), was Lestat.

AMC Networks

Lestat aspired to be an artist and actor, completely different from his boorish brothers. Thus, he maintained a close relationship with his mother. When he grew to adulthood, he became the family hunter, protecting their ancestral lands. One day, when he was 21 years old (29 in the TV series), he saved the nearby village from a pack of eight wolves, who very nearly killed him. It was after this incident that Lestat discovered his mother was dying of consumption. As her last wish, she bequeathed all her jewels to Lestat, so he could run away to Paris and fulfill his dream of being an actor on stage.

AMC Networks Which Episodes of The Vampire Lestat Show This Part of Lestat’s Backstory?

Episode two of The Vampire Lestat reveals this part of Lestat’s life, showing his time in Auvergne and his killing of the wolves, which earns him the title “Wolf-Killer.”

Lestat’s Vampire Life Begins in Paris

Lestat and his childhood friend Nicolas de Lenfent, a cynical violinist who was now his lover, fled to the big city together. They both got work in a shabby theater in the heart of the city, where Lestat quickly became a rising star. Nicolas, meanwhile, sank further into depression as Lestat’s on-stage fame grew. One night, Lestat noticed a face in the audience stalking him, whispering the words “Wolfkiller” into his mind. One night, this being, who turned out to be a vampire, captured Lestat from his home and dragged him to his tower outside Paris. There, he forced him to become an undead being against his will. The Vampire Lestat was born.

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Lestat’s vampire maker, Magnus, was about 300 years old, and an outcast from vampiric society. He had grown tired of eternal life, and chose Lestat as his heir. In part because of his beautiful looks, but also for his bravery in killing the wolves. Once Lestat became a vampire, Magnus flung himself into the fire, ending his existence. Thus, leaving Lestat without a teacher. Lestat took to his vampire existence like a duck to water, killing the many thieves and scoundrels of Paris. He bought the theater he worked at, giving his fellow actors continued employment. But he kept his new vampiric nature a secret from his lover, Nicolas, and kept his distance.

Which Episodes of The Vampire Lestat Show This Part of Lestat’s Backstory?

Episode three of The Vampire Lestat reveals this part of Lestat’s life, showing his time with Nicki and his turning by Magnus.

Lestat Turns His Dying Mother into a Vampire AMC Networks

Eventually, Lestat’s mother, Gabrielle, came to Paris to see her son one last time and to spend her final nights there. On her deathbed, Lestat revealed his true nature to her, and turned her into a vampire. Gabrielle became his first fledgling and companion in immortality. The two made Paris their hunting ground, although they’d often hear the telepathic voices of other vampires in the city calling them outcasts and blasphemers. Eventually, these Parisian vampires attacked them directly.

Which Episodes of The Vampire Lestat Show This Part of Lestat’s Backstory?

Episode two of The Vampire Lestat reveals this part of Lestat’s life, revealing Gabriella’s turning to us—but changing its occasion and consequences from the books.

Meeting Armand and the Children of Darkness AMC Networks

These vampires were cultists, who lived in the nearby cemetery of Les Innocents. They believed what their mentor, the ancient vampire Armand, had taught them. They considered themselves the Children of Satan, and they had to live among the dead, stay away from mortals (except to feed), and run from crucifixes, as Satan commanded. But Lestat didn’t obey any of those rules. And because of his and Gabrielle’s presence, they knew the “rules” Armand had been feeding them for centuries were all lies and superstitions. Lies Armand told them to keep the coven under his thumb.

With his hold of the coven shattered by Lestat, and its members fleeing, Armand tried to become the new companion of Lestat. He told Lestat how an ancient Roman vampire named Marius had transformed him when he was a slave boy in Renaissance Venice. The Satanic vampires of Italy set Marius on fire for living against their dogmatic rules, leaving him for dead, and they kidnapped the young Armand. They brainwashed him into believing in their religion, and Armand became a leader among the Children of Darkness. He never truly believed in their ways, but used their dogma to control his Satanic coven in Paris.

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The Weird History of Anne Rice’s Vampires in Comic Books Which Episodes of The Vampire Lestat Show This Part of Lestat’s Backstory?

We haven’t yet specifically seen these events in The Vampire Lestat, but we see glimpses of the events that directly follow them, with Nicki, Armand, and Lestat together in Paris.

Lestat Helps Create the Théâtre des Vampires

Ultimately, Lestat rejected Armand, and transformed his lover, Nicolas, into a vampire. He did this despite Armand and Gabrielle warning him against it. Nicolas almost instantly went mad from the vampiric blood, and told Lestat that he resented and hated him for ever keeping it from him. Lestat and Gabrielle decided to leave Paris, but they left the theater he had bought to Armand and what remained of his coven. They transformed it into the Théâtre des Vampires, where they acted out vampiric plays for Parisian mortal audiences who believed it all to be fake.

AMC Networks

Nicolas remained at the Théâtre des Vampires, in Armand’s care, while Lestat and Gabrielle searched for Marius, Armand’s maker. Even though Armand told them he was killed by the Children of Darkness centuries earlier, they didn’t believe a vampire that ancient could be destroyed so easily. They searched together for years, and found no sign of Marius de Romanus anywhere on Earth. After Nicolas finally threw himself into the flames, and Gabrielle decided to leave her son to be a lone wolf, a despondent Lestat buried himself in the Earth, where he remained for years. In the books, Gabrielle would leave Lestat on his own much more regularly than we see in the series, but only truly left when he ordered her to go in a fit of anger. In the series, Gabriella dances away of her own accord.

Which Episodes of The Vampire Lestat Show This Part of Lestat’s Backstory?

We haven’t yet specifically seen these events in The Vampire Lestat, but we see glimpses of the events that directly follow them, with Nicki, Armand, and Lestat together in Paris in episode three. In episode four of The Vampire Lestat, we see Gabriella deciding to leave Lestat to exist on her own.

Lestat Meets the Vampire Marius, Keeper of Akasha, Queen of the Damned Warner Bros.

Eventually, Marius chose to reveal himself to Lestat, and pulled him out of the ground. This is after his mother Gabrielle abandons him, and he buried himself in the earth in Italy. He fed him his powerful blood and nurtured him back to health. He revealed himself as the keeper of “Those Who Must Be Kept,” also known as Queen Akasha and King Enkil of Egypt. Nearly 2,000 years prior, the scholar Marius was transformed into a vampire in ancient Rome. But only to become the new caretaker of Those Who Must Be Kept. This 6,000-year-old royal pair were the ancient progenitors of the vampire species, and all vampire bloodlines came from them. They no longer drank blood, or spoke, or moved, frozen like statues.

Which Episodes of The Vampire Lestat Show This Part of Lestat’s Backstory?

We haven’t yet specifically seen these events in The Vampire Lestat.

Lestat Arrives in New Orleans, Creates Louis and Claudia AMC Networks

Since their destruction meant the entire species would be destroyed, they needed to be kept secret and safe. Marius had been their keeper for millennia and entrusted Lestat with this knowledge. But he made him swear to never tell a living soul. When Lestat played Nicolas’ violin for Akasha, she awoke momentarily and let Lestat drink her powerful and ancient blood. This made the young Lestat one of the most powerful vampires on Earth, despite being so young. Marius then told Lestat to flee to the New World, someplace where barely any vampires existed. Someplace that even Akasha could not find him. And that’s when Lestat wound up in New Orleans, and met his fledgling Louis, and the events of Interview with the Vampire began.

If you’ve seen seasons one and two of Interview with the Vampire, or the 1994 film adaptation, you probably know what became of Lestat next. Of course, many things happen to Lestat after the events of book two, but we’ll have to wait and see if AMC plans to adapt those books as well.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a life-long Anne Rice fan. Yes, he is a member of the OG fan club.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally publishe in June 2026.

The post THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’S Backstory, Explained in Linear Fashion appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• AMC’s The Vampire Lestat pulls many elements from Anne Rice’s original novels, but also makes some fairly major changes too.

AMC’s The Vampire Lestat pulls many scenarios and moments straight from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Naturally, the series mainly pulls from book two, The Vampire Lestat, but also borrows from other titles in Rice’s 13-book series. Here, we detail where the AMC series draws direct inspiration from Rice’s prose, episode by episode, but especially where it deviates from the books in a big way. Let’s check out the biggest references and most major changes that The Vampire Lestat makes to Anne Rice’s books.

Table of contents

• The Vampire Lestat Episode 1: “Detroit”
• The Vampire Lestat , Episode 2: “Toledo”
• The Vampire Lestat , Episode 3: “Toronto”
• The Vampire Lestat , Episode 4: “The Devil’s Road”

The Vampire Lestat Episode 1: “Detroit” AMC The Vampire Lestat (1985), “Downtown Saturday Night in the 20th Century: 1984”: Location Changes, Louis Insertions, and Time Shifts

Lestat living adjacent to a garage band named Satan’s Night Out, who convince him to join their band, is all from how Anne Rice’s novel opens. This takes place in the chapter “Downtown Saturday Night in the 20th Century: 1984.” However, in The Vampire Lestat book, this all occurs in New Orleans, not Montreal.

Also, Lestat learns from the band that Louis has detailed their lives together in book form. In the AMC series, Lestat finds out the book via an email alert. He has already reunited with Louis in the AMC series, and the book serves to break them up again. This also marks a major change from The Vampire Lestat, which barely features Louis at all. In fact, in the book, Lesat forms a rock band partially to lure Louis back to him. Also, all of this takes place in the present day in the The Vampire Lestat series, and not in 1984.

The Vampire Lestat (1985), “Dionysus in San Francisco: 1985”: Dracula’s Daughter Changes Locations AMC

In episode one, the Detroit vampires attack Lestat in the boutique hotel called Dracula’s Daughter. This references the vampire covens attacking him at his Halloween night concert in the climax of Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. However, in the book, Dracula’s Daughter is a bar in San Francisco, not a hotel.

The Vampire Lestat, Episode 2: “Toledo” AMC The Vampire Lestat (1985),”Lelio Rising”: Lestat’s Stuttering is a TV Series Invention

Lestat’s flashbacks to his mortal life in 18th-century France are how he begins his story in Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. All the details about his cruel older brothers and father tormenting him as a child are from the opening portions of the novel, “Lelio Rising.” Lestat de Lioncourt, taking on the task of killing the wolves attacking the local village, is also from this section of the novel. So is his close relationship with his mother, Gabriella.

However, Lestat’s struggles with stuttering as a young child, which The Vampire Lestat spends a great deal of time on, are an invention of the AMC series.

The Queen of the Damned (1988), “The Short, Happy Life of Baby Jenks and the Fang Gang”: The Fang Gang and Baby Jenks Change From Book to The Vampire Lestat Series

The name of the Detroit vampires, the Fang Gang, comes from the third Vampire Chronicles novel, The Queen of the Damned. But in the Anne Rice novel, the Fang Gang were not against Lestat for exposing the secrets of the undead to the world. Instead, they wanted to join him. The Fang Gang in the AMC series, meanwhile, is attempting to kill Lestat for breaking “The Great Laws.”

This is what most vampires were threatening to do at the start of the novel, The Queen of the Damned. Additionally, in the novels, Baby Jenks is a newly created vampire who is a part of the Fang Gang. She is killed by Queen Akasha when she rises. In the show, that has yet to occur, marking another change between The Vampire Lestat series and Anne Rice’s books.

The Vampire Lestat (1985), “Downtown Saturday Night in the 20th Century: 1984”: Who Is Telling the Truth? AMC+

When Daniel Molloy and Louis talk about Daniel’s publishing of Interview with the Vampire, Louis says he didn’t like how he came across in it. He says he was a liar, and not just a “Lying to myself kind of liar, a f#%*ing liar.” Daniel says Lestat claims an entire scenario described in Interview with the Vampire, with Lestat attacking them on a train, flat out never happened. This tracks with Lestat’s revelations in the opening chapter of The Vampire Lestat. This is where he says some of Louis’ confessions about him were complete fabrications. In the TV series, it remains unclear if either one of them is telling the full truth.

The Vampire Lestat (1985) “Viaticum for the Marquise.” AMC

Lestat’s recollections of making his dying mother into a vampire come from the section of The Vampire Lestat titled “Viaticum for the Marquise.” Gabriella’s decision to become a vampire right away is from this section of the book. One big deviation is that in the AMC series, Lestat and Gabriella return to Lestat’s ancestral home and kill Lestat’s brothers. Gabriella then kills her now-blind husband, and they leave their bodies for their children to find. In the novels, Lestat’s blind father survives, escapes the French Revolution, and flees to New Orleans. In Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, Lestat asks Louis to kill his father, because he can’t bring himself to do it. This is a major change to the text and in Lestat’s story in The Vampire Lestat.

The Vampire Lestat, Episode 3: “Toronto” AMC The Vampire Lestat (1985) “Lelio Rising”: Lestat and Nicki’s Romance

In the flashbacks in episode three, “Toronto,” we see the romance between Nicholas de Lenfant (Joseph Potter) and Lestat back in 18th-century France. Most of it is very accurate to Anne Rice’s canon, with some small differences. Lestat and Nicki were childhood friends, but Nicki was the one who gave Lestat the wolf-lined coat in his home village in the book. He had already been to Paris and come back home a failed student of Mozart’s. He and Lestat then leave together for Paris, Lestat for his first time, Nicki for his second.

The Vampire Lestat (1985) “The Children of Darkness”: Nicki’s Death Changes

Nicki begging for Lestat to turn him into a vampire, and his mother, Gabriella, claiming it will end in disaster, are straight from the novel. So is Nicki going mad from the vampiric transformation. However Nicki’s The Vampire Lestat death changes from book to series. In the novel, it was Armand who chopped off his hands to keep him from playing his violin when he broke coven rules. Meanwhile, it is Nicki who throws himself into the fire in The Vampire Lestat book. In The Vampire Lestat series, Lestat changes the tale to say Armand pushed Nicki into the fire and held him there. But whether or not that is true remains to be seen.

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Joseph Potter on Changes to Nicki’s Death and His Love for Lestat in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT

Also, Lestat is not present when Nicolas takes his own life by going into the fire in the book. In The Vampire Lestat novel, this event happens years after Lestat leaves Paris, and he learns about Nicki’s death via letters from vampires in the Paris coven. It’s unclear whether The Vampire Lestat series has changed Lestat leaving completely, and if Nicki and Armand still spent any time alone without Lestat present as the did in the book.

The Vampire Lestat (1985) “The Legacy of Magnus”: Lestat’s Transformation AMC+

The ancient vampire Magnus (Damien Atkins) stalking the mortal Lestat when he was an actor in a small Paris theater, and then kidnapping him and forcing him to become his vampire heir, was straight from the novel. However, in The Vampire Lestat series, there are slight changes. For one, we don’t see Magnus leaving Lestat with his vast fortune of gold and jewels, nor do we see him throwing himself into the flames. Although Lestat does mention the latter having happened, Nicki alludes to Lestat returning from his time with Magnus richer than before.

The Vampire Lestat, Episode 4: “The Devil’s Road” AMC The Vampire Lestat (1985): “On the Devil’s Road from Paris to Cairo:” Gabriella Leaves Lestat Is the One Thing the Show DOESN’T Change (Much)

Episode four changes the story of The Vampire Lestat the most from the events of the original novel. Louis’ obsession with Claudia lookalike Regina, Armand visiting Lestat while on tour to make amends for past behavior, and Lestat being shot after a concert to expose him as a vampire are all creations of the TV series writers. However, the flashback to the parting of the ways between Lestat and his mother, Gabriella, draws inspiration from passages from Anne Rice’s prose in The Vampire Lestat. In the series, Gabriella abandons Lestat on a beach in Italy, seeking to wander the world without him. However, in the book, Gabrielle leaves her son for days and weeks at a time, until Lestat finally discovers she kept the knowledge of his mortal family’s death from him. In a rage, he asks her to leave him, and she obliges. In the series, she leaves of her own accord, although it’s clear that’s what she wanted in both instances.

Devils’ Minion Takes a New Shape

The relationship between Armand and Daniel in Anne Rice’s world becomes canon in the book, The Queen of the Damned. In a chapter called “The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire,“ Rice tells of Daniel and Armand’s love and Daniel’s vampiric turning. Of course, The Vampire Lestat/Interview with the Vampire has already changed Daniel’s story quite a lot. But something interesting that changes between Armand and Daniel in The Vampire Lestat is the nature of their vampiric bond. In the series, it seems something about Armand and Daniel’s connection makes the whole world fade away around them. What does that mean? We don’t yet know.

We are quite certain the series will make even more changes to Rice’s text as The Vampire Lestat continues. So keep checking back here for new updates. In the meantime, The Vampire Lestat airs on AMC and AMC+, Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT and midnight, respectively. You can also snag The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice to read, if you’d like to keep up with all the various changes between show and series.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published on June 14, 2026.

The post Major Changes AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Makes to Anne Rice’s Books appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• As of July 1, Gilmore Girls is only available for streaming on Prime Video.
• The series follows a mother-daughter duo as they navigate life in a small town.
• Netflix will keep the sequel series, A Year in the Life.

It’s the end of an era. After 12 years as a Netflix staple, the cozy dramedy Gilmore Girls is moving to Prime Video. Netflix, however, will get to keep the 2016 sequel series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Hallmark

The series stars Lauren Graham as the forever quick-witted Lorelai and Alexis Bledel as her studious daughter, Rory. The story follows the pair as they “come of age,” in a sense, together, in a small, quirky town. Lorelai is a young mom with a close friendship with her daughter, Rory. As Rory navigates high school and then college, Lorelai learns her own lessons about motherhood and love. The side characters are widely beloved, from Lorelai’s ultimate love interest, Luke, and her best friend, Sookie, to the town oddball, Kirk. Rory interacts with a whole other cast of characters as she grows up, including a variety of friends, frenemies, and romantic interests.

The series was a hit when it was airing, with episodes coming out weekly. Now, though, it is more popular than ever. Fans particularly love to watch during the fall, during which the best parts of the story take place, and audiences crave a cozy, warm-fuzzies comfort show to keep the gloom away.

Just after Gilmore Girls arrived on Netflix in 2014, the streamer announced a reboot, A Year in the Life. It was a four-episode miniseries of 90-minute episodes taking place about nine years after the finale of the original show. In terms of other Gilmore Girls content, a documentary called Searching for Stars Hollow is rumored to be in the works with no set release date yet. Ink On Paper Studios announced it as part of the show’s 25th anniversary last year.

A Year in the Life will stay on Netflix, but the seven seasons of Gilmore Girls are all Prime Video’s now. If you are looking forward to a yearly rewatch of the show, make sure you remember where to find it!

As of July 1, it will only be available for streaming on Prime Video.

The post GILMORE GIRLS Says Ta-Ta to Netflix and Hello to Prime Video appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• PlayStation will delete 551 movies from customer libraries on September 1, 2026.
• The titles all fall under Sony’s license agreement with Studio Canal.
• Sony is providing no compensation for lost digital goods.

Earlier on Wednesday, we told you about Sony declaring they’d stop making physical discs for PlayStation games beginning in 2028. They have fully embraced the digital media revolution. So why, then, you might ask, are they also telling customers movies they bought digitally will disappear from their libraries? In the most general sense, it’s because digital ownership isn’t a thing. Unless you have a physical object, you merely have temporary access. But in specific, it’s because Sony lost the rights to Studio Canal titles. That’s 551 movies, just gone from libraries beginning September 1.

This was news last week, which we saw via Kotaku. Sony’s deal for movies Studio Canal owns or distributes—we’re talking things like Terminator 2, Total Recall, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind—lapsed. Sony’s email to impacted customers called it “content licensing agreements.” Because, if you get right down to it, Sony was never selling you the movie. It was charging you full price for the privilege to watch it until they no longer have the license to do so. Or, more accurately, Sony doesn’t want to pay Studio Canal their asking price for those titles. Sorry, customers.

Tri-Star

All the more upsetting, Sony told affected customers “you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content from Studio Canal, and it will be removed from your video library.” No refund or consolation prize or anything of that nature. Just, sorry Jim, you can’t watch this stuff you paid for. (Your name is Jim in this scenario.)

By this point, you probably don’t me to yet again harp on the importance of physical media ownership. But if you were someone who maybe unwittingly “owned” potentially hundreds of movies that now just suddenly disappear from your library, that’s not just loss a content license agreement, that’s theft. Sony is stealing the thing you paid them for. Now they won’t even give you the option of owning physical game discs either. So what are you to do?

Physical media certainly takes up space, but it takes up space because it’s real and it’s yours. It’s in your home, where you can get to it any time you want to. If you pay $25 for a Blu-ray, you own that Blu-ray until such time as you choose not to have it anymore. And then you know what you can do? You can sell that physical object for real money.

For the complete list of titles affected in the Studio Canal Sony debacle, click here. Then get ready to say “buh bye” to movies like Hot Fuzz, Evil Dead 2, and This Is Spinal Tap.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post PlayStation Deleting 551 Movies from Customer’s Libraries appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Girl, Interrupted musical is a much-needed work for our time, one that allows us to know we are seen even in darkness; our review.

I think we can all agree that the world is going through some complex, difficult times. Times that feel more intense for those of us who exist in the world carrying identities that don’t fall under societal “norms.” In times like these, it can feel like the options for our survival, joy, and flourishing are limited. But if there’s one idea we can turn to, to hold onto a light that is not necessarily all-healing but all-important, it’s community. Community can be found among our closest friends, but it can also be found among people we’ve never met; if a shared like-mindedness and belief system exists. It can be found through activism and through art. Right now, in New York City, it can be found among the audience members, creators, and performers who allow Girl, Interrupted to thrive in its musical form, night after night. Community can’t always help us escape our nightmares, but it can help us face the issues that threaten our dreams, and beautifully, bravely, Girl, Interrupted gives voice to so many fears we all face, all while reminding us that we are not alone in facing them.

Joan Marcus

The Girl, Interrupted musical is crucially based on the book by Susanna Kaysen. Many might know the movie Girl, Interrupted, also an adaptation of the book. But it might come as a bit of a surprise to learn that Kaysen’s story is actually a memoir of her time at a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s. While the Girl, Interrupted musical, of course, expands and imagines the material beyond the specific lines of the source text, it ultimately remains much more faithful to the book than the movie version of the story. And, importantly, the musical cleaves to the intention that Kaysen holds closest to her heart for her life’s tale.

In 2022, Kaysen noted of her book, “The familiar thing, I think, was a person adrift, frightened, overwhelmed by existence and unable, for a moment, to engage with a life for herself…A lot has changed in the decades since this book was published, and even more since I was in the hospital. And perhaps the stigma of depression and ‘mental illness’ has diminished somewhat. But suffering doesn’t change. This book, written under a delusion, has brought many readers some comfort. I hope it still has that to offer thirty years later.”

And it is safe to say that the Girl, Interrupted musical, expertly written by Martyna Majok, with gorgeous original music by Aimee Mann, perceptive and nuanced direction by Jo Bonney, and lovely choreography by Sonya Tayeh, precisely achieves this bringing of comfort.

Joan Marcus

The Girl, Interrupted musical follows the story of Susanna, played by Juliana Canfield, as she admits herself into the McLean psychiatric hospital, where she connects with the other young women in the facility, all of them holding onto their struggles, their hopes, their identities, and one another as they try to understand what it means to live. Creating Susanna’s cohort of community in the hospital is her earnest roommate, Grace, played Mia Pak, the closed-off but warm-hearted Daisy, played by Katherine Reis, the hopeful but struggling Polly, played by Sally Shaw, the standoffish but fragile Tori, played by Gabi Campo, and, of course, the self-proclaimed “psycopath,” who wishes for community no lesss than anyone else, Lisa, played by King Princess.

All of these young women are brilliant in their roles. And what I like the most is the different kinds of womanhood on display in the musical. There’s Lisa’s Bowie-like androgyny, Polly’s welcome warmth, Daisy’s high femininity, Grace’s girl-next-door energy, Susanna’s more conventional charms, and Tori’s bold, self-assured style. In what I felt were super meaningful stage directions, no woman even sits in a chair the same way, Lisa sprawling, Polly tucking her ankles behind each other, some leaning with their feet up on each other’s chairs; the personalities of these characters poured out onto the stage from the smallest details to the largest, helping to build a full, realized, resonant vision of every woman in her own right. Even while, in essence, trapped in a place that was trying to diminish their differences and their otherness, the individuality of each woman shone.

Joan Marcus

In sharp contradiction to this, every man in the musical was played by the same actor (also brilliant) Manoel Felciano, who is billed simply as “The Male Presence.” While, of course, there is variation among men, in this musical, the notion of “The Male Presence,” the haunting, chilling, suffocating hold that society and the patriarchy have on our lives, was illustrated PERFECTLY by this conceit. The symbolism felt wholly effective and not at all trite. The idea in the Girl, Interrupted musical is not that every man is evil, but that the systems that we live in are meant to oppress, and that oppression is so often delivered through the forms of men who would rather benefit than take a hard look at what’s happening around them.

And it’s this sharp interrogation of society that is one of the facets that is so incredible about the Girl, Interrupted musical. Of course, the women in the hospital face are struggling with difficulties that live inside themselves. But those traumas would become so much more manageable, and perhaps wouldn’t even exist, if the way life is constructed did not fail them at every turn. It is not only the intense traumas within ourselves that we struggle with, but also the underlying constructions of society that force us into them. Woven, I thought, in perfect subtlety into many of the women’s stories was the way their blood families truly let them down, be that by forcing them into the hospital, or by forcing them out of it, but, in almost every case, by refusing to see them.

That said, I think the story left space for the idea that “We can only know what we know.” And that in the past, what we thought we knew was different than what we think we know now. And what we know now, we might look back on in the future, and consider foolish. An important reminder that we are always in a place on a journey, and all we can do is try to wrestle with the lot we are offered.

Joan Marcus

But, Girl, Interrupted is very clear, the worst thing we can do is try to wrestle alone. Instead, it is in our community, in the people who do see us, that we can find the solace we need to go on. And, at every turn, this was incredibly reflected by the wondrous music of this musical. To say that the music of Girl, Interrupted felt like a religious experience would be to massively undersell its wonder. The use of live instruments on stage, combined with the incredible, almost choral soundscape that was created around every song, made emotion well, and goosebumps form at every turn.

In most cases, the songs were sung prominently by two of the women, allowing us to learn about the various pains they carried in an intimate setting and to become invested in their relationships with one another. But also, in most cases, all the songs involved all the other main women singing as a chorus in the background. In this way, even though not every woman was singing in every song, all of the women’s voices were always together, a communal wave of sound and support for one another. And this beautiful mechanism perfectly underscored the idea that because these women had found one another, they never had to truly feel alone with their pain.

The songs of the Girl, Interrupted musical were all incredibly beautiful, sweet and symphonic, even as they tackled some of the most harrowing topics one could discuss in a musical; everything from suicide to abuse to schizophrenia. The lyrics were heavy and painful and yet laden with beauty. The juxtaposition acted as a perfect reminder that all parts of us, even those we perceive as the ugliest and darkest, deserve to be treated with grace. These songs truly allowed us to get inside the minds of these characters, but also resonated within each of us, who have no doubt experienced at least shades of these traumas. And in this way, we see the characters, and they see us, and we are all, again, wonderfully together.

Joan Marcus

Who among us has not felt a painful loss of time? Or found ourselves unable to be our truest selves because of external constraints that trapped us? Throughout Girl, Interrupted, we are invited to meditate on these pains, even as we discover we hold them together. And crucially, Girl, Interrupted is realistic and bittersweet. It doesn’t imply that having a community can heal all these great wounds. It does not promise us that we can win every battle when it comes to being true to ourselves, that we will always be able to rebel or find absolute freedom. But through having that community, we know our own identity better, our wounds are more easily carried, and the only lives we have become better, even when everything feels dark.

In addition to all of this, Girl, Interrupted really deftly does a lot with a little in its staging, keeping things simple so the emotions can pop, and also allowing the audience to incorporate their own imaginations into the mix, leaving space for our perceptions to blend with the staging. Although with time, I’d feel curious to see how the production design could expand. The Girl, Interrupted musical also knows how to layer humor with heaviness, bringing levity and lightness right at the moment when a break is much needed. Personally, as a professional writer, I enjoyed all the jokes about how you can’t possibly make a living as a professional writer. I see you, Girl, Interrupted, and you see me.

It’s fitting then that Girl, Interrupted ends with an incredible ballad called “I See You.” And it’s guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes as it makes the interesting framing device of the story, Susanna looking at the Vermeer painting “Girl Interrupted at Her Music” and pondering its meaning, come to true life. The finale involves all the women in the cast, and it swells, surrounds you, and brings you in. Community found. True catharsis achieved. Girl, understood.

Joan Marcus

Ultimately, Girl, Interrupted is a much-needed work for our time, one that makes us think about the past, present, and future, where we’ve evolved, where we’ve fallen short, and where we could still triumph. And about how community can’t heal all wounds, but it can certainly make our existence better as we navigate the perils of being true to ourselves, our beautiful otherness, and existing in society.

Girl, Interrupted (Musical) ⭐ (4.5 of 5)

Girl, Interrupted is running until July 12, 2026, at The Public. Tickets are available now for purchase.

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The post The GIRL, INTERRUPTED Musical Allows Us to Be Beautifully Seen, Together (Review) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• One of LEGO’s newest sets is an homage to one of Star Wars’ most well-known characters.
• Boba Fett is the bounty hunter who was hired to track down the Millennium Falcon in the original trilogy.
• Be on the lookout for three new LEGO Star Wars sets coming out this year.

Since the late 90s, LEGO and Star Wars have been inseparable brands. That remains the case today. One of LEGO’s highly anticipated 2026 sets is dropping this August: The Boba Fett statue.

LEGO, Lucasfilm

Boba Fett is the son and clone of the notorious bounty hunter Jango Fett. His first appearance was in 1980 in The Empire Strikes Back, when Darth Vader assigns him to tracking down the Millennium Falcon. In the prequel trilogy, his backstory is explored. We see him grow up as a clone of his father. After four appearances in the main storyline, Boba Fett has become a beloved character from the franchise.

Boba Fett is no stranger to LEGO and has appeared as a minifig in a variety of sets over the years. There was also a Boba Fett helmet statuette, which is now retired. Now, the bounty hunter returns in the form of a full-body statue.

LEGO, Lucasfilm

Builders will be able to construct Fett’s customized Mandalorian armor, including a torn fabric cape. The set includes a base to stand the statue on, alongside a placard with information about the character. The finished statue, including the base, measures 16 inches tall, and the set includes 1,544 pieces.

Pay tribute to a bounty hunter with real swag: Boba Fett. Recreate Boba’s armored outfit, as seen in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi™. Add his fabric cape and equip him with a blaster. Adjust his head and arms for intimidating battle poses.

This is not the only new Star Wars set coming out this year. Also releasing in August is the Hutt Palace Sentry Droid Showdown set. It chronicles a battle from The Mandalorian and Grogu, which came out this year. In addition, LEGO is putting out a Star Wars Christmas advent calendar this September, which, spoilers, includes a Grogu mini-minifig.

Both the Boba Fett statue and the Hutt Palace Showdown set will come out August 1.

The post LEGO Reveals Boba Fett Statue Set to Come in August appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Hellraiser is coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Orlando and Hollywood.
• Universal has released an announcement trailer starring Pinhead and the Cenobites.
• HHN merch launched Wednesday, July 1 at 9 am PST.

“We have such sights to show you.” Those were the immortal words of Pinhead, leader of the demonic Cenobites, in Clive Barker’s original Hellraiser. And soon, he’ll be able to show these terrifying sights to horror fans in person. Yes, for the first time ever, a Hellraiser-themed haunted house is coming to both Universal Studios in Orlando and Universal Studios in Hollywood for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights.

This new experience will transport fans into Clive Barker’s dark imagination, where “desire, suffering, and the unknown collide.” This all begins on Friday, August 28, in Orlando, and Thursday, September 3, in Hollywood. You can check out a teaser video from Universal Halloween Horror Nights’ new Hellraiser experience down below.

The new Hellraiser haunted house will be based on the first three (and best) movies in the franchise. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser from 1987, Hellbound: Hellraiser II from 1988, and Hellraiser III from 1992. Hopefully, the inclusion of the latter means we’re going to see the CD head Cenobite. The coolest aspect of this new haunted house, however, is that Doug Bradley himself will lend his voice to Pinhead for the attraction. The original film introduced audiences to the chilling mythology of the Lament Configuration puzzle box. When an unsuspecting person solved the puzzle box, it opened a portal to another dimension inhabited by the ritualistically torturous beings, the Cenobites, and their leader, the iconic Pinhead. You can read the official description for the new Hellraiser haunted house below:

The terrifying experience begins as guests enter the iconic Lament Configuration puzzle box, unwittingly summoning the Cenobites and opening a gateway to a diabolical dimension where unspeakable horrors await. From the shadowy attic in Frank Cotton’s family home where he was first cast to Hell, to the disturbing Channard Institute where the legendary box lures guests with its promise of forbidden pleasures, fans will encounter haunting moments and settings from the Hellraiser franchise at every turn. Their unnerving journey ultimately lands them in The Labyrinth where Pinhead and the Cenobites lie in wait for new souls to torment for eternity.

Universal Studios

New limited-release merchandise inspired by the Hellraiser haunted house, including a T-shirt and a Pinhead acrylic figure, are now available at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood and will launch Wednesday, July 1 at 9 am PST on shopUniversal.com. To purchase tickets to Halloween Horror Nights, be sure to click here.

The post HELLRAISER Coming to Universal Halloween Horror Nights 2026 appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The anime, based on the Cyberpunk games, had incredible audience ratings for its first season.

Four years after the release of its first season, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has revealed its season two trailer, with this next season’s title as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. The anime is one of Netflix’s highest-rated series ever, with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. On June 29, fans saw, for the first time, the cast of characters of the second season, and have already started making speculations.

Edgerunners is an anime based on the video game Cyberpunk 2077, set in a futuristic world full of cyborgs. Season one followed David Martinez, who was a student before becoming a cyborg mercenary.

A Street Kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an Edgerunner, a Mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk.

Now, season two introduces an entirely new group of characters to follow. The trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 tells us almost nothing about them, only made up of colorful, bloody, action-filled clips set to a nu-metal-esque song.

CD PROJEKT RED

When Cyberpunk 2077 came out in 2020, it was met with a wave of negative audience ratings. After a long wait for what seemed to be a great game premise, the game’s quality left users upset. The player experience was… not good. Bugs ran rampant, and the developers had not had the time to perfect the mechanics.

According to Jade King from The Gamer, CD PROJEKT RED “rushed [it] out in unfinished form after several delays to appease shareholders,” despite protests from stressed game developers.

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure RPG set in the dark future of Night City — a dangerous megalopolis obsessed with power, glamor, and ceaseless body modification.

However, the game had its redemption arc. Developers fixed in-game bugs, resolved the constant crashes, and perhaps the largest part of the shift was the release of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an anime based on the game.

Netflix, CD PROJEKT RED, TRIGGER

If the show follows the style of the trailer, a large portion of it may be from the perspective of a camcorder, held by an unnamed kid silently documenting the bloody events around him. However, that style could have definitely just been used to up the cool, retro vibe of the trailer. Despite being set in the future, the show does have a distinctly 90s/early 2000s style.

And man, did season one scar the audience. Spoiler: most of the top comments on the new trailer allude to characters’ tragic ends in the first season. Here are some of my favorites:

• “Can’t wait to get emotionally attached to new characters just so Night City can delete them like a corrupted save file.” @RoninPirate
• “I’m sure this crew will meet a very happy ending.” @clydecash7124
• “The VICTIM CAST of season 2 looks amazing” @deepakdolwani9466

So, to say the least, fans think they know how the season will end. But nobody knows, because the trailer itself is certainly vague.

The season has no specific release date, but the trailer says it will be coming to Netflix this Fall.

The post CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS 2 Anime Reveals Action-Packed Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Sadie Sink’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was so secretive that she didn’t do an audition and got the script on the way to filming.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters in just a couple of weeks. And somehow, despite living in a world where pretty much everything is spoiled somehow, we still do not have a definitive answer about who Sadie Sink is playing in the movie. Is she Jean Grey or another character that will be completely new to the Marvel Universe? We will see soon. In fact, things were so secretive with Sadie Sink and this role that she didn’t audition for it and did not receive a script until she was flying to London for filming. 

Netflix

Nylon posted this information in a profile piece featuring Sink, where she said it was easy to simply keep her mouth shut. If someone paid me millions of dollars to play a role and keep quiet about it, I’d do that, too. Even Tom Holland, who is known for accidentally spilling the beans, hasn’t said anything about it. Apparently, Brand New Day director Daniel Destin Cretton offered Sadie Sink the role directly with no audition necessary, which makes sense considering they’ve collaborated before. Sink is no stranger to a fervent fanbase after Stranger Things but the Marvel world is something far bigger. 

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“I knew that Marvel was a big deal and had a big brand, especially Spider-Man,” Sink told Nylon. “I know there’s a huge fan base, but it feels really big. I think these blockbuster movies are a whole different beast.” 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31.

The post Sadie Sink Didn’t Have to Audition for BRAND NEW DAY Role appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The cult 1960s vampire soap opera Dark Shadows is getting a revival from Warner Bros. as an adult-oriented animated series.

The popularity of the vampire genre goes in cycles. In the late 2000s, it was all about Twilight and True Blood. Then, it crawled back into the grave for a time. Now, thanks to shows like The Vampire Lestat, and musicals like The Lost Boys, the undead are cool once again. So Warner Brothers is looking to bring back another once-popular vampire series from its vaults. It was announced at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, via The Hollywood Reporter, that the 1960s cult TV series Dark Shadows, which made a household name for the vampire Barnabas Collins, is getting reimagined as an adult animation series. Lisa Holdsworth, a writer on Discovery of Witches, will executive produce and be the showrunner on the series.

Warner Bros.

Originally running from 1966 to 1971, Dark Shadows was a gothic soap opera centering on a New England family. The series originally aired on ABC during weekday afternoons. But early on, ratings began to slip. So the show introduced a new lead character, the 18th-century vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid. The show then tripled in popularity, becoming a serialized saga about not only vampires, but witches, ghosts, and time travel. It even spawned two movie spinoffs in the early ’70s. It was probably the first sympathetic vampire portrayal in mass media, a decade before Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire arrived in 1976.

A Primetime revival aired in 1991, but it lasted only one season. Tim Burton, who loved the show as a child, made a live-action film based on Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp in 2012. But the comedic take flopped, putting the franchise back in the ground again. But transforming it into an adult animated series is a logical way to revive the series, so the creators’ imaginations can run wild, with less of a worry about budget. Although not confirmed, one imagines this is meant for HBO Max, although, like Warner Animation’s Batman: Caped Crusader, it could run on another streamer. We imagine we’ll learn more about this new take on Dark Shadows very soon.

The post DARK SHADOWS Getting Revived as Adult Skewing Animated Show appeared first on Nerdist.