Hollywood action star Tom Cruise seemingly looked forward to a sequel to his 1994 gothic horror film Interview with the Vampire. Based on Anne Rice’s novel of the same name, the film featured Cruise alongside Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst.
Christian Slater, who shared the screen with Cruise and Pitt in the movie, has recently revealed that Cruise was surprised by the absence of a sequel to the 1994 hit film.
Interview with the Vampire Actor Revealed Tom Cruise’s Desire For a Sequel
In a recent conversation with ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian, Christian Slater shared that the action star Tom Cruise did aspire for a sequel to the 1994 film, Interview with the Vampire. Slater portrayed the role of the reporter, who interviews Brad Pitt’s Louis, in the 1994 film.
The actor shared that he and The Mummy star reflected on a potential sequel, stating that they were both surprised that the film did not get a sequel despite how well it was received.
“Tom Cruise and I were both surprised that Interview With The Vampire didn’t get a sequel. You know, that would have been fun. Uh, I mean, he did bite me at the end of that thing.”
Interview with the Vampire follows a vampire named Louis who recounts the story of his life, including his complex relationship with his maker, Lestat, and their encounters with other vampires throughout history.
The film received positive reviews and was a commercial hit, making $223 million at the box office. It also received two Oscar nominations. While plans for a sequel were discussed, it was eventually abandoned. A stand-alone sequel was released in 2002. However, none of the original cast members returned for that.
There Were Plans For a Sequel Following Tom Cruise’s Lestat
Interview with the Vampire was the first book in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, which was followed by three more books The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, and The Tale of the Body Thief.
Following the success of the 1994 film, there were plans to adapt the second book, The Vampire Lestat, as a sequel. Filmmaker Neil Jordan was reportedly involved in the project’s early stages. However, despite initial efforts, the sequel, which was expected to follow Tom Cruise’s Lestat, never materialized.
Instead, a standalone sequel was released in 2002, described as the combined adaptation of both The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned. Unfortunately, unlike its predecessor, this sequel was met with disappointment, receiving negative reviews from both critics and audiences.
Cruise did not return to the sequel and was replaced by Stuart Townsend as Lestat. Nearly two decades after the disappointing sequel, AMC adapted Rice’s Interview with the Vampire as a TV series, which has been well-received and is gearing up for its second season release.
Interview with the Vampire, the movie, is available to stream on Prime Video.
Interview with the Vampire TV series is available to stream on Prime Video.
