AMC is expanding its exploration of Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe withTalamasca: The Secret Order, which will have a very different feel from the franchise’s other series. The Immortal Universe first launched in 2022 with AMC’songoing adaptation ofInterview with the Vampire,while the in-universe spinoff,Mayfair Witches, also began development around the time the former began production. Thanks to the ongoing critical and ratings success of both shows,Interview with the Vampireseason 3 is currently in production with a 2026 release window whileMayfair Witchesseason 3 is currently being written.
Talamasca: The Secret Orderwas announcedin mid-2024 as a spinoff of both series, with plans to focus on the titular shadow organization tasked with keeping some semblance of peace between the supernatural and mortal worlds. Developed by John Lee Hancock and showrun by him and Mark Lafferty, the series will focus on Nicholas Denton’s Guy Anatole, a law school graduate who, after dealing with indiscernible visions, finds himself recruited by the Talamasca as their newest recruit. Guided by agency veteran, Helen, Guy will have to quickly learn the ways of the supernatural underworld to stop an emerging threat.
In honor of the show’sSan Diego Comic-Con 2025presence,ScreenRanthosted John Lee Hancock, Mark Lafferty, Nicholas Denton, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Céline Buckens and William Fichtner in our interview suite to discussTalamasca: The Secret Order. The creator and showrunners discussed finding a new tone and storytelling formula for the Immortal Universe, while the cast all broke down their characters and what to expect from their arcs in the spinoff.
The Talamasca Showrunners Wanted To Craft The Immortal Universe’s Spy Show
It Also Led To The Birth Of Original Characters
While both shows have supernatural roots,Interview with the VampireandMayfair Witchesfeature fairly different tones, with the former being a mix of classic gothic storytelling and melodramatic romance, while the latter aims for more consistent suspense. However, coming into the development ofTalamasca, which Hancock says was pitched to him by frequent collaborative partner Mark Johnson, the creative team sought to do something that felt totally apart fromthe rest of the Immortal Universe.
Johnson, who has executive produced both prior Anne Rice-based shows, pitched Hancock the idea first about a show focused on the mysterious Talamasca, which “is not an Anne Rice book in and of itself”, but instead an idea that is spread across her various novels. Hearing this, Hancock shared thathe has “always wanted to do a spy show”, feeling that the opportunity to do so while also throwing “some vampires and witches in” would be a cool creative challenge for him.
As for how he set about developing the show without a direct source material, Hancock found that it was “great to have almost a backdrop” ofRice’s novels to pull from, with her books having “some tenets and some ideas about what they do” and the characters involved in their actions. Even still,he found himself “able to freelance and think” up his own characters and storylinesaround the Talamasca concept, calling his cast of characters “amazing” as he pointed to the rest of the actors in the room.
The Talamasca Is As Much About Its Characters As It Is Its Supernatural World
“…I Think It’s Really Liberating.”
Bouncing off of Hancock’s praise for the group, the conversation then turned toTalamasca: The Secret Order’s roster of characters, all of whom bring varying archetypes to the Immortal Universe series. Richardson-Sellers, best known to some for her work onThe CW’sThe Originalsand Arrowverse, stars in the show as Olive,a “master spy” who finds herself working as “Guy Anatole’s handler"when he’s sent to London by the titular agency.
“She’s so brilliant, and wants to make sure that that brilliance does not go wasted,” Richardson-Sellers explained. “She’s a master of disguise, as well, in the old sort of spy-craft style. I have to look after Guy. It’s a big job. It’s exciting.”
Denton, who is fresh off of Starz’sDangerous Liaisonsadaptation, echoed Richardson-Sellers' comments about the dynamic between Guy and Olive, which he describes as being a “crazy storyline” and having “a crazy couple of episodes” this season. As to his own character, Denton chuckles as he describes Guy as “quite a complex guy”, one who is “quite lonely”, but is also a “hyper-intelligent figure”. When he’s first introduced, Denton reveals,Guy is dealing with what “some may call a gift”, but others “an issue”, in which “something’s going on internally” in his mind.
He believes that it could be sort of a mental illness, or something, but actually it comes to be that the Talamasca has been tracking him, and it makes clear that what’s been going on inside his mind is actually a mind-reading capability.
When posed with the idea of people seeing a version of themselves in Guy, Denton finds that playing the role has been “really liberating” for him, feeling thataudiences will feel that certain internal issues they’re facing in their lives “can be a gift” and that they “can use this to our advantages"rather than hold them back. “And Guy does do that, against all the odds and adversity that he’s faced with the Talamasca, who have more or less groomed him,” Denton shared.
That being said, Guy doesn’t necessarily start offTalamascaon the cheeriest of notes, having a more cynical outlook on life before being found by the titular organization. As Denton explained, “skepticism is a nice thing for [Guy] to exist”, describing the character as being “a bit of a longer” who has “always been on the fringes”. The star also feels thatthis may have amplified “the stuff that’s going on inside his mind”, which makes things all the more complicated when “this shadowy figure of Helen from the Talamasca” comes into his life.
“[She’s] played amazingly by Elizabeth McGovern, she’s so terrific in this show, and I’m so glad that I got to work with her, because I’ve been a huge fan of hers for a long time,” Denton beamed. “But this figure of Helen, who shows up and says that, ‘Your whole life’s been a lie, we’ve been tracking you,’ it kind of plays nicely for him, because he can have that standoffish skepticism about it all. But she really does put the hard word on, and say, “‘No, I’ve got your number, and I know everything about you.'”
In addition to Helen and Olive, another stark contrast from Guy in theTalamasca: The Secret Ordercast is that ofWarrioralum Céline Buckens as Doris, a woman who is “very familiar with the supernatural world”,only she is “a recluse” who “doesn’t trust it”. As such, she “lives with the coven that she does” as the group of witches “keeps itself to itself”, something that Buckens points to being ideal for her character, as she “would stay below the radar” if she could help it, only for the plot to happen and “she gets sucked in”.
Fichtner, a well-known character actor having starred in everything fromMichael Bay’sArmageddonto CBS’Mom, laughed as he began with a joke that he’s “a background actor” who is “so glad they invited me” to be part of the interview. Turning to sincerity, Fichtner describes his character of Jasper as someone “very driven by a life mission to right a wrong he feels”, which ultimately puts him on a collision course with Denton,after which he teases “life gets really good” for his character.
As to what drew him toTalamasca: The Secret Order, Fichtner praised the way Hancock and Rafferty are just as focused on “the characters and what is happening in their lives” as they are the “Anne Rice elements” of supernatural worldbuilding. “That’s why this show is made, but it’s the things that happen in the background of all of these people that gives it the depth that, for me personally, I didn’t need to see anything spooky going on,” Fichtner described. “Iwas really driven and drawn into who these people were, and how they ended up at this place. And when you anchor all of that, when you anchor characters, you can do anything, and it can be riveting.”
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Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Orderis set to premiere on October 26 on AMC.
Talamasca: The Secret Order
Cast
Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order follows Guy Anatole as he navigates a hidden realm of secret agents and immortal beings, revealing the delicate equilibrium maintained with humanity. Set to be released in 2025, the series delves deep into the mystical and clandestine operations of the enigmatic Talamasca order.
