Anne Rice Chimes in on Robert Downey, Jr., as Lestat Debate

Debi Moore |

Aug 18, 2009

Since she’s never been one to shy away from interacting with and directly communicating with her fans, it was only a matter of time before Anne Rice addressed the rumors swirling around a new adaptation of her Vampire Chronicles and particularly the potential casting of Robert Downey, Jr., as Lestat.

On her Facebook page Rice has numerous comments to the many questions posed by her fans, including one by yours truly:

One good thing about these uncomfirmed rumors on the web about Robert Downey Jr. and that he might play Lestat: the web is full of interesting pix of Robert Downey, Jr. who for my money is an immensely talented actor of great range and depth, who can do anything from Iron Man to the marvelous period movie Restoration. I think the Brat Prince is happy to hear of all this.
Not only is Robert Downey Jr. a great actor, there is something undeniably impish and effortlessly charming about him. I’d say he is something of a brat prince himself. I loved Iron Man!
It’s no secret that I want to see new Lestat films. I wrote eleven books in the Vampire Chronicles and only a small part of the material has been tapped. I’d be thrilled if Robert Downey Jr. did do Lestat. He has the face, the voice, the personality and the spirit. His age isn’t an issue. He looked terrific in Iron Man. He’s a great actor, that’s the point.

When I do have some official word from my agents, I will post on my website, and probably here. In the meantime, I imagine Lestat is delighted to be in the news. The Brat Prince loves attention.

And just a few minutes ago as we were prepping this story, she added: One thing I realized: because I don’t write about him [Lestat] anymore, I’m free now to really enjoy what happens with him and the movies. And I am already sort of enjoying the possibilities.

So there you have it straight from Anne herself. Even better, she responded to an inquiry about whether or not we might ever see the Mayfair Witches on the big screen:

Yes, in answer to the question, there is an excellent chance that The Witching Hour will be made into a film. There is an enormous amount of material in that one book alone that could translate to the big screen. I wrote a screenplay for the Witching Hour at one point, but that was long ago. I would also love to see Ramses the Damned on the screen too.

As for what Rice is up to these days aside from rediscovering religion, she’s developing a new series called Songs of the Seraphim. The first of these “metaphysical thrillers about angels and assassins”, Angel Time, will be coming in October 2009. The second has already been written and the third is under way.

The novel opens in the present. At its center is Toby O’Dare—a contract killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again. A soulless soul, a dead man walking, he lives under a series of aliases such as Lucky the Fox and takes his orders from “The Right Man.” Into O’Dare’s nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions comes a mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. O’Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest but instead came to embody danger and violence, seizes his chance. Now he is carried back through the ages to 13th Century England, to dark realms where accusations of ritual murder have been made against Jews, where children suddenly die or disappear . . . In this primitive setting, O’Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journey of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love.

In addition, Anne, like so many of us, is hooked on HBO’s “True Blood”. I guess once a vamp-lover, always a vamp-lover!

– Debi Moore

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