‘The Talamasca’: Elizabeth McGovern Joins New Anne Rice Series!!

The Talamasca has recruited another star into its shadowy ranks. Downton Abbey‘s Elizabeth McGovern will join the upcoming horror series, the latest in AMC‘s expanding universe of Anne Rice projects. The series is set to premiere in 2025. McGovern will play Helen, a veteran member of the secret society, and the leader of its New York City Motherhouse. She suspects that the organization’s London branch has become corrupt – and a mysterious death only confirms those suspicions.

Hoping to get to the bottom of the mystery, she recruits a new protégé, Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton, Dangerous Liaisons). Veteran villain William Fichtner (Heat, The Dark Knight) will also star as Jasper in the series. The series will be the third in AMC‘s Immortal Universe, a universe of interconnected series based on the extensive catalog of horror author Rice, who died in 2021; Interview with the Vampire was recently renewed for a third season, while Mayfair Witches is expected to premiere its second season in the near future. The Talamasca will begin production next month in Manchester, England, for a 2025 release.

What Is ‘The Talamasca’?

The Order of the Talamasca is a centuries-old secret society that monitors the paranormal in the interconnected world of Anne Rice. That includes vampires, witches, demons, and werewolves. It dates back to the 8th century, and employs psychic detectives to watch over its targets. The Talamasca first appeared in Rice‘s 1988 book The Queen of the Damned, the third book in her Vampire Chronicles series; it was adapted for the screen in 2002’s ill-fated Queen of the Damned, which featured Marguerite Moreau as neophyte Talamasca member Jesse Reeves, and Paul McGann as Talamasca director David Talbot. The existence of the Talamasca has been alluded to in both Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, laying the groundwork for the upcoming series.

The Talamasca will be executive produced by John Lee Hancock (The Founder) and Mark Lafferty (Halt and Catch Fire); the duo will also co-showrun the series. It will also be executive produced by Mark Johnson, who oversees the Anne Rice Immortal Universe. Hancock will also direct the series. Both Hancock and McGovern will bring an Oscar-nominated pedigree to the series; Hancock was nominated for his work on The Blind Side, while McGovern received a nod for Best Supporting Actress in 1981’s Ragtime.