New The Vampire Lestat Trailer Has Fans Freaking Over Controversial Relationship (But It’s Book Canon)

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Fans of Anne Rice have a lot to look forward to this summer! After nearly two years since the end of Season 2 of Interview With the Vampire, the show is back with a third season, now called The Vampire Lestat. Premiering on June 7th, the new season will continue the story, focusing on Lestat (played by Sam Reid), who is now a rock star on tour while grappling with memories from his past. AMC recently released a trailer offering a sneak peek at what’s to come, and it’s got fans incredibly excited – and a little bit worried!

The latest trailer showcases Rock Star Lestat in all his dramatic intensity, and also offers a look into his history, including his mother, Gabriella (played by Jennifer Ehle). While much of his past appears as memories, Gabriella is very much present—and the trailer hints at a deeply close bond between them. Since the series is based on Anne Rice’s second Vampire Chronicles book, The Vampire Lestat, fans anticipated a strong emotional connection between mother and son. Now that the trailer makes it clear how that relationship will be portrayed, fans are incredibly excited—and a little shocked!

Lestat and Gabriella Have a Controversial Bond (But It Has Ties to the Book)

Okay, let’s talk about Lestat and his mother. “Complicated” doesn’t even begin to cover it. We saw some unsettling moments in previous trailers – a very inappropriate touch, if I’m being honest – hinting at something deeper than a typical mother-son dynamic. But the new trailer? Wow. They’re about to kiss, and it looks… passionate. Now, it’s just a trailer, so context is key, but it definitely looks like this AMC series is going to explore some seriously taboo territory – potentially incestuous, even. And the fans? They’re having a lot of feelings about it, though surprisingly, a lot of the reaction hasn’t been negative. It’s definitely a bold move.

A Threads user expressed surprise that the characters Lestat and Gabrielle are being paired together, posting a spoiler warning. Another user jokingly responded that they now have to explain the pairing—referred to as ‘de Lioncest’—to their wife.

What really struck me about that scene was the idea of preserving their connection. Anyone who’s read Anne Rice’s book knows there was always something…intense between Lestat and Gabrielle – that’s what she goes by in the novel. Gabrielle had a really rough life before becoming a vampire. She was basically sold into marriage to a wealthy but awful French lord, brought over from Italy as a sort of financial fix for him. He was cruel, she hated her life, and out of several children, only three made it to adulthood. Her two oldest sons were chips off the old block, but Lestat was different – kind of a sweet soul, and she clearly favored him. When she was dying of consumption, she gave young Lestat her remaining jewels and told him to use the money to chase his dream of acting in Paris. Then, the really twisted part: she visited him in Paris, he’d already been turned into a vampire, and he ended up turning her. It made their relationship incredibly complicated – he was her son, but also her father, and she was both his mother and his child. It’s a really messed up, but fascinating, dynamic.

This shift in their dynamic also created a new kind of closeness between Gabrielle and Lestat. Gabrielle quickly began to adopt a more masculine style and the novels suggest their relationship becomes inappropriately intimate, bordering on incestuous. However, the books establish that vampires don’t experience sexual pleasure; blood fulfills all those needs. So, while Gabrielle and Lestat share intense intimacy in the novels, it’s not physical or sexual. The trailer, by showing them kissing, hints that the series might make the implied relationship explicit. Since AMC’s adaptation has already shown vampires experiencing physical desires, if the show remains true to the book’s relationship, it’s likely they will also depict a physical connection between them.

How The Vampire Lestat Adapts Gabriella Will Be Critical

Beyond the hinted-at romantic relationship between Gabriella and Lestat in the preview, viewers are eager to see how the show will portray Gabriella’s gender identity. Although Anne Rice never directly stated Gabriella was a transgender man in her books, many readers have interpreted the character as having strong transgender characteristics. In The Vampire Lestat, Gabriella is consistently unhappy with being forced to present as female, and immediately begins dressing and living as a man after becoming a vampire. There’s a poignant moment in the novel where she cuts her hair short to appear more masculine, only to be distressed when it grows back overnight. She’s deeply upset, and Lestat offers to cut her hair for her every night.

Fans have long wanted to see this side of the character maintained, and the new trailer shows Gabriella embracing a more traditionally feminine look. While it’s not overly flashy, she has shoulder-length hair and appears to be presenting as a woman. It will be fascinating to see how the series portrays her. Many viewers are hoping the show continues to explore the complex queer themes present in the original work, and that Gabriella’s story will be a part of that.

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2026-04-23 05:41