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Unless we are talking about Mission: Impossible–M:I 8 is currently filming or the long-delayed Top Gun: Maverick–Tom Cruise isn’t known for making very many sequels to his flicks. But, according to one former cast member, there is one film in his oeuvre that he is shocked never got a follow-up. The former cast member in question is Christian Slater, who co-starred along with Cruise and Brad Pitt in one of the best films of the 90s, the film adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel Interview With The Vampire. According to the Heathers alum, he’s shocked that he and the Risky Business star never got a second bite at the neck, playing a vampire in a sequel.
Christian Slater Reflects on The Missed Sequel Opportunity
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly three decades–the movie turns 30 this year–since we were first mesmerized by one of the most iconic vampire performances on screen. In an interview shared on Comicbook.com’s Chris Killian’s Instagram, Christian Slater discussed how he and Cruise were reflecting on the project. The pair expressed a mutual astonishment over the movie’s lack of a sequel despite their roles becoming fan favorites. He recounted:
Tom Cruise and I were both surprised that Interview With The Vampire didn’t get a sequel. You know, that would have been fun. Uh, I mean, he did bite me at the end of that thing.
For my money, even three decades since its release, Interview With The Vampire is still one of the best vampire movies ever committed to celluloid. Upon release, it was a critical and financial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing R-rated horror films of 1994, and grew to become a goth cult favorite. Not to mention, it introduced the broader world to actress Kirsten Dunst, a role Cruise helped the young actress secure thanks to some very practical advice.
The Enduring Legacy of ‘Interview With the Vampire’
Tom Cruise’s electrifying turn as the vampire Lestat was central to the film’s success. Initially, Anne Rice, the source material’s author, hated Cruise’s casting in the role. However, his performance won her over and helped cement the film’s place in cinematic history. Despite this success and the buzz around it, plans to continue Lestat’s story with Cruise in a sequel never came to fruition. While the potential for a direct follow-up to this beloved film sparked plenty of discussions, ultimately, those plans remained just out of reach, leaving fans to wonder what might have been.
There was anticipation over a sequel starring the Top Gun A-lister, yet various factors, including rights issues, changes in production companies, and creative decisions, led to a different path for the book to screen adaptations of Rice’s novels.
The next film in the series, Queen of the Damned, starring the late singer and actress Aaliyah, was released in 2002, but it did not involve Tom Cruise. Instead, Stuart Townsend took over the role of Lestat. The film combined elements from the second and third books of Rice’s series, The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. Still, it diverged significantly from the source material and did not continue directly from where Interview left off.
Interview With The Vampire is enjoying a second adaptation and return to screens as a television series, which is gearing up for its second season on AMC.
The Possibility Of A Sequel With Cruise
The ending of Interview with the Vampire set the stage perfectly for a sequel. It left audiences reeling from its final twist and introduced a new narrative thread with Daniel, the San Francisco reporter who becomes enthralled with Louis’s tale of the undead. As Christian Slater hinted in the recent interview, the setup was ideal for a follow-up. Yet, despite the ripe storytelling potential, a direct continuation wasn’t in the cards. Could a sequel with Cruise still happen? As the interviewers and Slater point out, Tom Cruise barely looks like he’s aged since the last time he put on the Vampire Lestat’s fangs. So, never say never.
Christian Slater’s most recent work, another book adaptation, the series The Spiderwick Chronicles, is available now for free on The Roku Channel. Be sure to check out our 2024 movie schedule to see what upcoming horror movies are heading to a screen near you.