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Watch the trailer for Talamasca: The Secret Order, and for a few hot seconds, you might think you’re watching previews for the next Wes Anderson film or maybe a Scott Pilgrim prequel. That’s because Jason Schwartzman appears, which is as interesting a casting choice for the Anne Rice's Immortal Universe, and as a vampire named Burton no less.

Talamasca: The Secret Order is the Interview with the Vampire spinoff series on AMC about the supernatural scholar think tank that observes and keeps tabs on the vampires, witches, and anything else that goes bump in the night. 

It’s a fascinating genre blend of horror and spy game tactics that fits in the fabric that connects Interview with a Vampire (which changes to The Vampire Lestat for Season 3) and the Mayfair Witches. The Talamasca is a presence in the Anne Rice novels, but doesn’t have any one book that features them on the main stage, so there is plenty of fertile ground in the universe.

“When I was writing the first episode, I thought we should have a skeptic or someone who didn't believe in vampires or witches, and were told that they were in fact true,” co-showrunner John Lee Hancock told San Diego Comic-Con 2025. “The first question I would have is, ‘Well, can I meet one?’ and so I knew I had to write that scene.”

“I was thinking about how do you present your first vampire in the show? I didn't want it to be too conventional and so I started thinking way outside the box, to the possibility of a kind of turncoat vampire who lives in a penthouse in The Dakota in New York City.” 

“Executive producer Mark (Johnson) observed, ‘Well, that's already an odd vampire.’ He is quite literally bopping around the room and he's quite entertaining and fashionable. Then we thought, who are we gonna get to play this character? 

Hancock directed the film Saving Mr. Banks in 2013 and ran the casting idea with Johnson and AMC they liked the idea. Schwartzman has always chosen interesting indy-type roles like Mozart in the Jungle, Fargo, or Wet Hot American Summer. Something this dark and intentionally scary is rare for Schwartzman and maybe that’s why he gravitated towards it.  

Hancock called up Schwartzman and asked him if he was interested in playing a vampire. He replied, ‘When do I show up?’ and he’s been enthusiastic ever since. “He was a joy to work with and he makes a great Burton.

Talamasca: The Secret Order will air on AMC and AMC+ on October 26, 2025.

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