The Vampire Lestat Trailer: A Rock Star Vampire’s Wild Ride with Epic Soundtrack

The rock star era of Lestat is here. Two years after a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire—now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of Anne Rice’s second novel in The Vampire Chronicles series—is nearly upon us. And if the trailer is any indication, it’s set to be a wild, visually stunning ride.

Star Sam Reid embodies Lestat with David Bowie-esque flair, and the vibe is undeniably immaculate. While the Louis-focused Interview with the Vampire leaned into somber melancholy and guilt, Lestat’s perspective bursts with bold colors, stylized graphics, and a booming soundtrack. The trailer even features Reid performing a cover of Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself”, a fitting choice given the season’s focus on Lestat’s solo journey to correct his portrayal in Daniel Molloy’s infamous book and offer his own take on past events.

Like the titular vampire himself, the trailer masks deep traumas with flashing lights, arresting costumes, and screaming fangirls. But this tour isn’t for the faint of heart. The novel delves into Lestat’s mortal life and early vampire years, introducing half a dozen major characters from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept. Their shadows loom large over Lestat’s present and future.

The trailer offers a surprisingly small amount of new footage, primarily spotlighting Lestat’s rock star persona. But there are intriguing hints of what’s to come:

• A brief glimpse of Lestat (likely as a human) in eighteenth-century France.
• What appears to be his abduction by Magnus before his transformation.
• The appearance of Queen of the Damned’s Baby Jenks in the present day.

Of course, the trailer also features Lestat’s mother, Gabriella (Gabrielle in the books), whose relationship with her son is… complicated. In Rice’s novel, Gabriella favored Lestat, her youngest child, over her cruel husband. She aids his escape to Paris, turns him as he dies of consumption, and their bond takes a blatantly incestuous turn. The trailer teases the pair about to kiss—a scandalous moment that’s faithful to the books. However, the TV universe has already established that vampires can and do have sex, leaving room for the series to explore their relationship even further.

There’s plenty to unpack when The Vampire Lestat premieres on June 7 on AMC and AMC+.