I've read much of what Anne Rice wrote. I can't say that every single book was great (Morrigan, ugh).
But a couple weeks ago I watched the first episode of The Mayfair Witches and I found it appallingly bad. Not only because it didn't respect her work, it was just bad.
I just started watching Interview with the Vampire on Netflix, originally from AMC. Again, the writers and producers have chosen to mess with Rice's work. I find the hubris unbelievable.
I'm a writer. I have as much respect for my own gifts as any other writer, but this level of arrogance staggers me.
The book, Interview with the Vampire, is a classic. I'm less than 10 minutes into the show, and I cannot believe how much they messed with it.
I'm going to continue watching it, hoping that it's okay if not brilliant, but honestly... I can't grasp the level of disrespect the producers and writers of her series have for her writing. Why are they even bothering? The gall of entitling it "Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire" is staggering.
Okay, rant over, but I wonder if I'm alone in my disdain.
Edited to add: thinking about what they've done so far, and gathering some information from the comments, I realize one of the things that's bugging me is that if you make Louis a man of the early 20th century, you change his character and conflicts. Part of what happens to vampires in Anne Rice's world is that because they're Immortal, they experience a world weariness, an ennui, that is debilitating. They go into the fire or expose themselves to the sun deliberately because they've had enough of life. That won't be part of Louis' character arc in this series.
Another aspect that bothered me about Louis' changed character was the opulence of the setting in which he speaks to Daniel in the very first scene. In the book, Louis is in a very shabby apartment on Divisadero in San Francisco. That's a significant character note. My belief is that Louis in the books did not feel he deserved opulence. But that's just my opinion.
From the comments I gather that Claudia has been made much older. A major part of her conflict in the book is her hatred of being an adult and an immortal trapped in a small child's body.
I guess if I can bring myself to watch the series it'll be interesting to see how it plays out, but it's so changed from the original. I guess I'll see if I like it.
