Hey folks, let me tell you a story about the time I was eaten my porridge and whey, when along came a Spyder that sat down with cider and we both sort of just shot the shit and talked for hours. Now I know it's not much of a story, but Spyder did give me a story about QUEEN OF THE DAMNED and a look at a pair of drafts concerning that film. The main question of why they have combined both novels and seem to be rushing the film into production... well that's to keep rights folks. Remember Roger Corman's FANTASTIC FOUR movie? Same story, different verse. Hopefully, Cthulu willing, this will work out. Spyder gives a rather lengthy look at things with a clearly discernable SPOILER COUNTDOWN, so feel free to read up until that point, at which point if you wish to depart... that is the most opportune time. Here's that Spyder....
Hail Mighty Head Geek,
Back with more news from the web. It’s often amazing what sorts of things I find stuck in its gossamer strands. A short while ago, I came across a copy of the screenplay for "Queen of the Damned," the third in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.
In the meantime, you reported that Wes Bentley, from "American Beauty," may be in talks to take on the role of Lestat in the very same project. Since then, I stumbled across a copy of a more recent revision of the screenplay. Imagine the good fortune of my procrastination. Now I can not only send you a review of the script, but also provide a small glimpse into how it’s changed over time. I’ll try to be a bit more organized in this review.
A brief word about my own perspective. I am an aspiring screenwriter, with a few completed screenplays (none produced). Hardly a rarity here on the West Coast; I think my web-cleaning service has a few screenplays under their belt, too. I have read most of the Anne Rice vampire novels, though it was a few years ago. Even then, I thought that "Queen of the Damned" might make a really cool follow-up to "Interview with the Vampire." (I hope to the Gods that any screenplays for "Tale of the Body Thief" are given a hearty shove into a furnace; it was not my favorite Anne Rice book) Given my own interests in the Industry, and my affinity for vampire fiction, this opportunity proved to be quite a treat.
The screenplays: the first one is dated November 1999. Screenplay by Scott Abbott, revision by Michael Petroni (overall, not bad, but it needed a little work). The second draft is dated February 2000, current revision by Michael Rymer. As a general aside, I think the current revisions really tightened up some of the weaker aspects of the first. A positive step, in my opinion. More on that later.
The plot comes from the aforementioned book of the same name. The short version: The Vampire Lestat, awakened from a preternatural slumber by the wailing of rock n’ roll becomes a modern day rock star revealing the secrets of the real vampires in the world, and inadvertently awakening the Queen of all Vampires (the Queen of the Damned). The downside: the Queen is one wicked bitch, who wants Lestat to be her cohort in a bloodbath of human carnage that would rage across the face of the earth (and she’ll kill any other vampires that get in her way). The catch is that the vampires can’t kill her, or they kill themselves. That doesn’t really blow any surprises, since the book has been out for a few years now. Personally, I always thought the rock star aspect was a little hokey, but I am very curious to hear what an interpretation of Lestat’s music might be like. Personally, I’m pulling for something like Nine Inch Nails meets Bush.
I’m not going to divulge too much more about the plot here, but there are a few key points I’ll discuss later (in an appropriately marked Spoiler section).
The screenplays: the first one was all right, but this latest is definitely a tighter revision. There were a few weak scenes in the first, and Lestat’s moti vation was left a little hazy. With a few retooled scenes, Rymer has really tightened things up and given us a better understanding of why Lestat wants to do be a rock star, and why the music would be something to jar the Queen (Akasha) out of her slumber. He dumped a scene where Lestat and his human band-mates were interviewed by Howard Stern; a vague attempt at a contemporary event, but I personally think Lestat wouldn’t tolerate Stern long enough to bite him. (no offense, Howard) The characters feel truer to the books in this second revision. Lestat is pretty much his Brat Prince self, and Marius is about what you’d expect him to be from the books. Other notable vampires make what amounts to cameos – they figure into the plot, but don’t come in until late in the second act.
The main difference I noticed between the two drafts is that this latest set of revisions seems like exactly what I’d do if I were getting Wes Bentley to play Lestat. He’s younger than Tom Cruise was when he played Lestat, and they’ ve adjusted the age of the female lead (Jesse, now an apprentice of the Talamasca rather than a full agent) to be around 17-18, which would play better on screen. I also think this would fit in better with the current teen-horror-flick trend, potentially increasing the appeal of the picture among the younger audience. Overall, though, I hope this would be a good sign. Rice’s books have Lestat being changed into a vampire around his late teens/early twenties, and Armand is no more than 17 when he’s sired. Giving the cast a slightly younger slant would be in keeping with the books. This won’t be a straight-up sequel to the movie of "Interview with the Vampire," and I don’t think that’s a totally bad thing. This could be fun.
However, there are a few other changes…
SPOILER ALERT
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There are some deviations from the stories established in Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Most of which I can totally understand, given the long and complex history of the vampires in her universe. For example, in the books Les tat was created by some out-of-the-blue vampire in late 17th century France, who leapt into the fire shortly after siring Lestat. For the screenplay, this history has been simplified so that Marius (the ancient Roman vampire who attends Those Who Must Be Kept) brings Lestat across into the Dark Embrace (in the books, Marius made Armand, but not Lestat). This integrates some of the elements more tightly, though, since it puts Lestat right in close to Those Who Must Be Kept (Akasha, and her king, Enkil). I totally understood why they made this choice. In the context of the screen story, it just works better that way.
One of the other changes has to do with some of the supporting characters. In the book, there are twin red-headed sisters who figure prominently in the plot and ultimately make the difference in stopping Akasha. For reasons I haven’t quite figured out, though, this has been change for the screen. In the first draft I read, they totally ditched one of the sisters, and in the second draft, they have the one surviving sister (Maharet) mention the other in passing. I’m not entirely sure why this decision was made. The story in the book has this other sister (whose name eludes me for the moment; it’s been a few years since I read it) being an impending, unstoppable, presence, who knows how to do kill Akasha – she had to eat her heart and become the new Queen of the Damned. You don’t know who this person is for most of the book, but there is this great sense that this person is going to kick some ass once she makes her entrance and you know who she is. For the screen, though, they decided to keep only one of the red heads. They also pick a different way of getting rid of Akasha; which kind of works for me. I’m a little partial book’s ending myself; I must admit I wondered how they’d handle that in a screenplay. I guess now I know.
One thing I think they should put in, or at least expand on, has to do with the nature of vampires themselves. The script is pretty clear with a flashback that shows you just who Akasha and Enkil were back in the day, and explains why killing them would kill the other vampires, but doesn’t take that little itty-bitty extra step and throw in the origin of all vampires. Part of what kept my interest in the book was hanging around to find out what Rice’s explanation might be. I figure they’re already doing a bit with an Egyptian set and costumes, they might as well take that extra step.
In case they don’t, in the book the first vampire was created when a malevolent spirit entered into an open wound of Akasha’s, bonding with her blood and heart. Every time she made another vampire, part of that spirit’s essence was transferred over to them and was what made them a vampire (it was tied to the blood). Those that were created around her time (Enkil, Khayman, Maharet, etc) are more powerful than those created later (Marius, Armand, Louis, etc). Since all vampires contain part of that essence, killing Akasha is what kills the vampires (their little bit of the spirit dies with her, thereby killing them). I figure that wouldn’t take much more effort to do, and would only need one or two more lines during the flashback.
But that’s just my opinion.
Overall, I think I like where things are heading. I’m still a little weary of the whole rock star thing, but I’m willing to give it a chance. After seeing Wes Bentley’s intensity in "American Beauty," I’m more than a little curious to see his take on Lestat.
Until my next tidbit, it’s back into the web.
- A Spyder
