After hearing back in July that AMC was finally developing The Queen of the Damned, I had to revisit the 2002 movie of the same name to see how badly it botched Anne Rice‘s tale. I also had to read the original book and process how different the two versions are. And yeah, it’s about what I remembered. Except now I’ve got a better idea of why it doesn’t work.
Let’s start with Lestat. Stuart Townsend plays him as a full-blown rock god, and it’s hard not to think of Jim Morrison the second he walks on stage. That comparison sticks mostly because of how well the lead played the role: the look, the swagger, the whole frontman posture. But the soundtrack is doing something else entirely. It’s a mix of nu-metal and goth rock, and once you clock Jonathan Davis of Korn’s involvement, the whole thing starts to feel less like a vampire movie and more like a 2002 mixtape with fangs.
Rice identified Jim Morrison as her model for rock-star Lestat, so The Doors connection goes beyond Townsend’s look. The film’s music isn’t quite channelling her original vision so much as it’s chasing whatever was selling records the year the movie came out.
The AMC series fares better, but not by much. The music isn’t as good as I’d hoped, even if the tone reminds me of R.E.M., with some David Lee Roth bravado thrown in.
Back to the film, there isn’t a lot of ancient Egypt to marvel at. There’s no Amel, no possession scenario, and none of the stuff that actually explains how Akasha became the first vampire. Without that foundation in the 2002 take on The Queen of the Damned, she’s just an ancient vampire who wakes up angry. That’s it. Aaliyah must have had fun hamming it up and being silky smooth, but that’s about all she’s given to work with.
With no backstory to explain how she became patient zero, the film gives her little narrative weight. Instead, the focus falls on Lestat and his survival through the ages. Perhaps the executives lacked faith in the material and cut the budget. Whatever the reason, the mythology that should give Akasha’s awakening meaning barely makes it to the screen.
Production-wise, there aren’t a lot of ready-made options left for recreating Ancient Egypt. Most of the elaborate sets built for the 1963 Cleopatra have long since disappeared, so AMC can’t simply reuse those. Cinecittà’s own studio brochure describes a collection of more than 3,000 pieces spanning historical periods, including ancient Egypt. That doesn’t mean a complete Egyptian temple or palace survives, but statues, furnishings and decorative pieces could help dress newly constructed sets. The studio also has the facilities to build those environments from scratch, should the production be willing to invest in them. The bigger question is whether AMC will give the history enough screen time to justify that effort.
But, if there are plans to adapt Rice’s Ramses the Damned, then the investment is well worth it.
When this author devotes considerable space to the origins of vampirism, including Akasha and Enkil’s transformation and the twins, Maharet and Mekare, whose story is central to the mythology. The 2002 film barely touches any of this, and I’d hate to see the series reduce it to a few flashbacks and some digital scenery. There’s a lot more to this story than an ancient queen waking up and deciding the world needs a makeover.
Although they were not used for the movie version, where it leaned on more of the gothic tone, the series have options. Those scenes shot near Melbourne, standing in for Death Valley, don’t add much mystique either. Just sand.
Thankfully, the reveal in episode five of the third season, with Sheila Atim as the titular Queen, gives her a promising introduction and a proper backdrop. Now that the season is over, I’m revisiting it to pin down the art design, and identify what works and what doesn’t. I appreciate seeing some of Rice’s novels brought to the screen, even when the adaptation leaves things out.
As for how it sets up AMC’s version of The Queen of the Damned. Montreal is in ruins. I still didn’t gasp. The TV series hasn’t kept me hooked in the same way the novels did. I watched the season, but I haven’t felt the urge to marathon it again. This repeat viewing took its time and as for the next season? The teaser is terrific, hinting at more than just a liberation of female souls, and Akasha is a much better mummy than that threat from Universal’s failed Dark Universe. All I want is for the next season to show her a lot of “love” and give her history the attention it deserves.
Anne Rice’s The Queen of the Damned AMC Teaser
