Busy Producer Mark Johnson Builds the Anne Rice TV Universe for AMC Networks: ‘He’s Indefatigable’
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business Editor Mark Johnson has produced some of the most distinctive movies and TV shows of the past 40 years.
Think “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Rain Man,” “The Notebook,” “The Holdovers,” “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Yet Johnson was a surprise choice by AMC Networks to lead its massive investment in building out the Anne Rice literary universe in multiple TV series.
AMC bought the TV rights to Rice’s literary vault of Southern Gothic vampire tales in 2020. Four years later, AMC has two successful Rice-based series on the air — “Interview With the Vampire” and “Mayfair Witches” — and a third hot prospect in development: “Talamasca,” which explores a mysterious society within the Rice universe.
Johnson had little experience with the fantasy and horror genres. But he was the perfect person to steer the Rice initiative, in part because he’s not steeped in the conventions and tropes of fantasy fiction, according to Dan McDermott, president of entertainment for AMC Networks and president of AMC Studios.
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