The Book Inspirations Behind the Armand/Daniel Vampiric Pairing in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (And What ‘Devil’s Minion’ Really Means)
- The Interview with the Vampire season two finale gave fans a Daniel/Armand pairing straight from Anne Rice’s novels. Here, we provide context about the Devil’s Minion pairing from the books.
- Armand and Daniel’s relationship features in “The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire” from Queen of the Damned.
- AMC’s Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat series continue to adapt the pair’s tale.
The finale of Interview with the Vampire season two had quite the twist, as a flash forward showed the audience that the Vampire Armand (Assad Zaman) had turned the reporter Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) into a vampire, some time before or after published his interviews with Louis and Armand as a book. We don’t know exactly how and when this happened. It seems to be an act committed more out of spite towards Daniel than love. However, Armand making Daniel a vampire on Interview with the Vampire does have its origins in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series of novels.
AMCIn the novels, Daniel Molloy doesn’t even have a proper name until the third novel in Rice’s series, The Queen of the Damned. In the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire, the young reporter was simply referred to as “the Boy.” At the end of that first novel, he ran off, with Louis’ tapes in tow, hoping to find Lestat. In book two, The Vampire Lestat, we find out that the boy had the recordings transcribed and published as the book Interview with the Vampire. A recently reemerged Lestat discovered that his name and much of his life was put on public display for mortals, passed off as fiction. Yet we never learned what became of the young reporter until Rice’s third novel.
“The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire“ from Queen of the DamnedIn 1988’s Queen of the Damned, we learned in Part 1, Chapter 4, a chapter called “The Story of Daniel, the Devil’s Minion, or the Boy from Interview with the Vampire” that the anonymous boy went searching for Lestat after his fateful interview with Louis in San Francisco in 1973. We also now had a proper name for him—Daniel Molloy. Lestat was slumbering at the time of Daniel’s search, and he didn’t find the undead French aristocrat. Instead, the Vampire Armand finds Daniel while he searches for Lestat, during a time when Armand made New Orleans his home. No other vampires lived there, as Lestat had long ago gone to sleep. Armand had “cleaned out” the city of any younger vampires. No one else dared to call New Orleans home at this time, as it was Armand’s territory.
AMC Scanning Daniel’s thoughts upon encountering him, Armand discovered this young mortal boy knew his name, and his true vampiric nature, and became fascinated. He began stalking him, and no matter what city or country Daniel ran to, Armand would find him. At first, he casually threatened to kill him if he ever published his book. Yet he continued to allow him to live for his own amusement. Then something unexpected happened. After years of cat and mouse, Armand came to actually love the mortal Daniel. Even so, he constantly refused to give him the Dark Gift, no matter how much he begged.
Daniel, Armand, and the Night IslandMany years into their relationship, Armand decided to become “incalculably wealthy.” Using his knowledge of where old ships with treasure lay at the bottom of the ocean, he recruited Daniel, who now saw himself as “the Devil’s Minion,” to help him procure wealth. All while he was asleep during the day. With this fortune, Armand, with forged documents Daniel helped him create, purchased an island off the coast of Florida. Armand turned it into an entertainment and shopping paradise that came alive only after dark called The Night Island.
Armand and Daniel lived at Night Island for years in the Vampire Chronicles. Daniel had everything he wanted from Armand, the finest clothes, the newest cars, all except the one thing he wanted most—to become a vampire himself. However, when Daniel’s life was in danger, on one of the many instances when he would run away from Armand, the 500-year-old vampire gave him what he wanted at last, and turned him. As Armand feared, however, making Daniel a vampire would only serve to drive a bigger wedge between them.
Daniel and Armand in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire
AMCAll we know from the AMC Interview with the Vampire series is that sometime after Daniel reveals to Louis the truth about Armand, and how he planned to let his Paris coven execute him along with Claudia, he turns Daniel into a vampire out of spite. (Or so Louis says.) But when did this happen? We don’t know yet. Do Interview with the Vampire‘s Daniel and Armand engage in a relationship similar to the one they had in the books? There doesn’t seem enough time for that intense love/hate relationship to have happened offscreen. Unless there is one further wrinkle to Daniel and Armand’s story that Interview with the Vampire is waiting to spring on us.
We know from episode five of season two of the series, that Armand encountered Daniel back in 1973, interrupting Louis almost killing Daniel. Not only encountered him, but very nearly killed him, and erased his memories of the event. Yet he clearly had a fascination with Daniel, and Interview with the Vampire leaves space for the possibility that the pair had a relationship decades ago. One that Armand then wiped from Daniel’s mind. After all, there is a limited series AMC announced called The Night Island. Could this series, at least in part, involve Interview with the Vampire‘s Armand and Daniel and their relationship?
AMC+Devil’s Minion in The Vampire LestatFor now, all we know is that when asked to describe what lives between Armand and Daniel, Eric Bogosian, who plays Daniel Molloy shared, “I feel that Armand’s love for Daniel is like when a kid has a stuffed animal, and he drags it around with him for like years until it has one button, and a hole for an eye. And he loves that little stuffed animal. So, it’s as romantic as that can be.” Well, we’ll take it!
Additionally, in a recent tease for the upcoming series, Armand’s actor Assad Zaman, revealed he’d be saying the following line to Daniel Molloy. “Love between vampires can be one thing… Or it can be many things.” But whether that line is discussing the love between Armand and Daniel the the love between other vampires, we don’t yet know.
I FAINTED I SCREAMED I CRIED pic.twitter.com/2VyJyBAkvk
— emme | 3 DAYS TILL YSPSFAGSIL (@danielsjournals) May 11, 2026The human brain cannot begin to anticipate which lines from #TheVampireLestat will take up residence in its every crevice. pic.twitter.com/vabPUDrQBC
— The Vampire Lestat (@AMCsAnneRice) May 11, 2026Ultimately, there are lots of ways this story could go for Daniel and Armand, and we’re eager to see how Interview with the Vampire tackles this fan-favorite pairing going forward.
Originally published July 1, 2024.
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ELLE Trailer Captures LEGALLY BLONDE Energy Perfectly
- Elle’s teaser trailer is here, giving us our first look at the Legally Blonde prequel series. And you know what we like it!
“On this perfect day,” we finally get our first look at Elle as the Legally Blonde prequel series releases its first trailer. And honestly, it’s giving us some pretty good vibes. We didn’t really know what to expect from this series, and we’re not sure we totally require it, but it does seem to understand Legally Blonde. From its nostalgic soundtrack to its very Legally Blonde-esque record scratch when things take a turn for “the worst,” we really feel the spiritual energy of the movie we love so much return to us. You can watch the Elle trailer below.
It’s all going perfectly for Elle in this Legally Blonde prequel series trailer. Her world is pink and full of sunshine. But then it all gets flipped on its head when she and her family have to move to… Seattle!!!! THE HORROR OF IT ALL. WILL THE TRAGEDIES NEVER END?
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Horror Director Oz Perkins’ Role as LEGALLY BLONDE’s Dorky David Will Always Have a Place in Our HeartsElle is suddenly feeling very blonde in a world of rainy days, earth tones, and grown-out roots. But what’s a girl to do? Get support from Bruiser Woods and get out there. The time has come to show that pink IS a personality and Elle can do anything, even learn how to “speak Seattle.” The synopsis for Elle released with the trailer shares, “Season One of Elle follows Elle Woods before she was a fish-out-of-water at Harvard. We meet her in 1995 as a fish in the tumultuous waters of high school where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices. Through it all, Elle uses her family as a touchstone, and forms an even tighter bond to her mother, proving that they can get through anything life throws their way as long as they have each other. With each challenge she faces, Elle grows closer to the Elle Woods we know and love today.“
As they say, we love you, Elle! And truly hope this sequel series is able to capture the real magic of the original movie. In addition to the Elle trailer, here are a few more details about the Legally Blonde prequel series:
Created by Laura Kittrell (High School, Insecure), Elle is co-showrun and executive produced by Kittrell and Caroline Dries. Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, Amanda Brown and Marc Platt also serve as executive producers. Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) directed the first two episodes of Season One, and also serves as an executive producer. Bryan J. Raber and Asmita Paranjape serve as producers. Josie Craven and Jen Regan serve as supervising producers.
The Season One cast includes Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods, June Diane Raphael as Elle’s mother Eva, and Tom Everett Scott as her father Wyatt, alongside Jacob Moskovitz, Gabrielle Policano, Chandler Kinney, Zac Looker, and Amy Pietz. Recurring cast members include Jessica Belkin, Danielle Chand, Matt Oberg, Chloe Wepper, Logan Shroyer, Sharon Taylor, David Burtka, Brad Harder, Kayla Maisonet, Lisa Yamada, and James Van Der Beek.
Prime Video
Prime VideoElle premieres on July 1 and streams on Prime Video.
Originally published on June 9.
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ENOLA HOLMES 3 Trailer Teases Sherlock’s Kidnapping and a Wedding
Enola Holmes is back on the case and dealing with some big personal and professional questions in yet another film. Millie Bobby Brown returns in the trailer for Enola Holmes 3 as we see her titular character prepare for her big wedding day. She’s set to marry her love, Earnest Augustus of the House of Tewkesbury, but she’s not so sure about giving up her infamous last name. While pondering the ramifications of marriage, things get even spicier in Malta when she learns that her sleuth brother Sherlock is missing.
Well, that’s quite the news to get on the morning of your wedding. We are pretty sure that plans will be cancelled as Enola tries to bring her brother home. She says that a Holmes would not disappear under any circumstances without leaving clues, which means she will be chasing clever breadcrumbs to lead her to Sherlock.
NetflixWho would ever think to kidnap him? Why would they do that? And how long will it take Enola to track him down? Of course, the Enola Holmes 3 trailer doesn’t give answers to those questions, but fans won’t have to wait long for answers. The third film of this Netflix franchise will premiere on July 1.
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SCARY MOVIE Is a Mixed Bag of Crude Humor and Meta Commentary (Review)
The first Scary Movie is an undeniable 21st-century cultural touchstone. It is a shamelessly raunchy, endlessly quotable (and crucially, gif-able) horror parody of ’90s slasher films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and the film’s now-iconic characters and singular sense of humor came courtesy of the Wayans Family. If Scream was, in its own right, a self-aware sendup of ’90s slashers, Scary Movie was an Inception-level, fourth-wall-breaking parody firing with the precision accuracy of a shotgun.
26 years later, the Scary Movie franchise has continued to evolve and transform in parallel with the genre it parodies: from the teen slashers of the ’90s to the gore-heavy ‘torture-porn’ of Saw in the early 2000s and the Paranormal Activity supernatural found-footage boom of the 2010s. The franchise itself has developed its own internal mythos and behind-the-scenes shuffles, with key creatives and stars moving in and out between installments. The Wayans Family departed the franchise after Scary Movie 2, while stars Anna Faris (Cindy Campbell) and Regina Hall (Brenda Meeks) hung on until Scary Movie 5.
But with Marlon, Shawn, Keenen Ivory and Craig Wayans (alongside Rick Alvarez) returning to write the sixth Scary Movie film (simply titled Scary Movie), director Michael Tiddes back at the helm, and the (much-needed) return of Faris and Hall, Scary Movie (2026) is a welcome return to form that course-corrects in a customarily self-aware, fourth wall-breaking fashion. Taking aim at so-called “elevated horror” films like Get Out, Longlegs, and Smile, the film delivers a crop of new horror (and wider film industry) parodies at its familiar breakneck pace.
RELATED ARTICLEMelissa Joan Hart Was Supposed to Play Cindy in SCARY MOVIEMake no mistake, a return to the Wayans’ crude, distinctly 2000s sense of humor isn’t going to win over any already reticent viewers. (Especially with the film clocking in at an hour and 45 minutes, a solid 20 minutes longer than every other installment.) And when the gags fall flat, they really fall flat. But when the Wayans take aim at specific characters, films, or genre trends rather than falling back on sex and/or gross-out humor, Scary Movie delivers on its promise of crowd-pleasing, no-holds-barred, “everyone is a potential target (even ourselves)” parody.Echoing the plot of Scream 5 (which was similarly styled as simply “Scream”), Scary Movie follows the moody, drug-addicted Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan), whose mother Cindy is now a paranoid shut-in a la Final Destination: Bloodlines. When her little sister Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif) is attacked by a familiar masked maniac, Sara and her definitely-not-the-killer boyfriend Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts) turn to Cindy for help, who in turn reunites her old group of friends when she realizes Ghostface is making a reboot-sequel hybrid. Scary Movie’s insistence on dragging the entirety of the original cast into 2026 leaves some characters feeling like arbitrary inclusions. Gail Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri) and Sheriff Doofy (Dave Sheridan) are particularly dead weight. They are characters that, yes, were key players in the fifth Scream, but the deeply unfunny writing and performances offer nothing in terms of comedic substance. Paramount Pictures Characters that fall into similarly familiar, predictable comedic territory are Tuesday’s crop of high school friends (all corresponding to the new young Scream cast). Strangely, there’s no mention is made of Mikey Madison’s Amber, with the film instead opting to riff on Sonia Ammar’s (forgettable) Liv via Ruby Snowber’s Elle, as a bizarrely one-note nymphomaniac whose role culminates (pun intended) in a cartoonishly raunchy and overlong sex scene.Dylan Minnette’s Wes is a similarly strange, arguably unmemorable character to riff, but he nonetheless serves as one of three characters the film uses to make fun of identity politics and the LGBTQ+ community. Played by nonbinary actor Benny Zielke, Wes is reimagined as a trans teen named Jess whose dad continually misgenders him in attempts to be a supportive parent. It’s lazy, unspecific, and doesn’t have anything to do with the film it’s parodying. It is just the kind of tired, anti-woke humor that’s become seemingly part and parcel for comics over a certain age. The same writing habits also rear their ugly head (though, admittedly, in a manner motivated by the source material) with the Mindy Meeks-Martin parody character (played here by Sydney Park but originally portrayed by nonbinary actor Jasmin Savoy Brown), “Dei,” who angrily corrects an onlooker about their pronouns mid-stabbing. The pronoun jokes are repetitive, tiresome, and dead on arrival, but thankfully, these are minor characters who are killed almost as quickly as they’re introduced.Paramount PicturesInstead, we follow the “core four” from the original Scary Movie. Brenda (now rocking a Ma-inspired bowl cut and mother to the Meeks twins) is mostly sidelined, but played with boundless charm by a pitch-perfect Regina Hall, who (alongside Anna Faris) continues to be the franchise’s saving comic grace. Shawn Wayans’ Gay Ray is also back, blending the worst of the script’s lazy comedic writing with the Elle, Dei, and Jess characters to create a predictably predatory and bizarrely outdated trope. More than any other character in the franchise, Gay Ray feels *most* like an unnecessary remnant of a bygone era whose narrative and comedic contributions don’t justify his continued presence in the franchise. On the other side of the coin, though, stoners are perpetually green subject matter. Marlon Wayans’ Shorty Meeks slots remarkably well into the hyper-online, perpetually smoke-filled, highly-reactive world of Twitch live streaming. The character may have been introduced 26 years ago, but there’s nothing desperate or “how do you do, fellow kids” about seeing him on a stream with Kai Cenat or fantasizing about a foursome with the K-Pop Demon Hunters. It’s in those moments of bizarre hyperspecificity—an animated musical parody blending two of the 2020’s most beloved kids films, Gail taking The Substance and giving birth to one of the White Chicks, Cindy getting a full-fledged John Wick fight sequence against a Matrix-esque army of Ghostfaces—where the Wayans’ writing is the strongest. No matter the genre, no matter the release date, no film is safe from a one-liner or a fourth-wall break. There’s somehow a Project Hail Mary sight gag, despite the films being released just months apart. Perhaps more than any other franchise entry, Scary Movie feels like as much of a sendup of Hollywood as it is horror. The opening sequence parodies the Scream VI opener with Samara Weaving, yes, but it’s mostly an Oscars-centric One Battle After Another gag, opting for industry commentary out of the gate. This trend continues into the third act killer reveal, which acknowledges the real-life ousting of the Wayans family from the franchise in favor of Anthony Anderson, who serves as the twist villain in a stroke of meta, self-deprecating humor. Scary Movie ends with the original stars killing off the younger generation for fear of being usurped. It is a satisfactory, appropriately self-aware ending, but one that begins to feel decidedly pointed when considered in conjunction with the film’s vitriol towards its young queer characters and staunch insistence on shoehorning in Gay Ray. Undeniably, though, this is a crowd-pleasing comedy that moves at a breakneck pace, delivering on its promise of parodying the latest decade of horror films with the Scary Movie franchise’s signature blend of crude humor, meta commentary, and (for better or worse) all of the Wayans Brothers’ stylistic quirks back in full force. It may be overlong, bizarrely fumbling through what should’ve been slam dunk parodies like Sinners and M3GAN, but when Scary Movie is funny, it’s really funny, and the return of the original cast and creatives ensures a welcome return to form for a crowd-pleasing franchise. Scary Movie ⭐ (2.5 of 5)
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Xbox Game Pass Lost ‘Millions of Subscribers’ with Price Hike
- According to Xbox’s own chief strategy officer, Xbox Game Pass lost “millions of subscribers” following a major price hike in 2025.
I’m not gonna be the first to say it, but s**t is expensive, guys. It’s pretty bad. Prices keep going up and most of the time we have to just eat it. What am I gonna do, not drive to work? If you want to watch The Great British Bake Off, Netflix has you over a barrel. But consumers still have some power, and they will prioritize what they have to. This is how Xbox Game Pass can shed a reported “millions” of subscribers following a drastic price increase.
This (reported by Kotaku) comes via Xbox’s own chief strategy officer during an interview at Summer Games Fest, as relayed by none other than Geoff Keighley. As Kotaku noted, the actual number of subscribers Game Pass had prior to the 2025 price increases was not known. The belief is somewhere around 35 million users. Xbox had raised the price on its Ultimate tier subscription in October of 2025 by 50 percent. The loss of “millions” of subscribers might explain why in April of this year, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma lowered the increase by 25%.
MicrosoftRight now, Xbox Game Pass has three tiers for console users as well as a separate PC-only tier. The Ultimate pass, the highest tier which saw the major price increase, is currently $22.99 per month. That includes, per the Xbox website, 500+ games. Compare that with PlayStation Plus Premium tier, which currently has a price of $19.99 per month. These seem like minor differences, but if you’re already paying for a million different services and the prices all keep going up, it’s not surprising that given a huge increase, a number of them deem Xbox one to cut.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
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CRITICAL ROLE’s Travis Willingham Joins FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION as Sephiroth
- Critical Role’s Travis Willingham is joining Final Fantasy VII Revelation as the new voice of Sephiroth.
- The game also released a new trailer.
- Travis Willingham apparently teased his new role back in 2024.
In the upcoming Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, fans of the Square Enix franchise will soon hear Critical Role’s Travis Willingham playing the English version of Sephiroth. He replaces Tyler Hoechlin, the last actor to play the Man of Steel (before David Corenswet) in Superman and Lois. This is the third and final installment in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy. It turns out, Willingham even teased his landing the role while posing with a Sephiroth cosplayer back in 2024 at Florida Supercon. This particular cosplayer and Instagram user, cosplay valkyrie, guessed Willingham was admitting his involvement with that convention photo. And Willingham just confirmed to her via social media that she was indeed right.
Critical Role/Square EnixWillingham will surely bring a lot of his sizable voice acting experience when playing Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII Revelation. His anime and video game resume is rather extensive, and includes everything from Sonic the Hedgehog to Street Fighter. He’s also been the voice of Thor in several Marvel projects over the years. But his most loyal fanbase comes from his involvement with Critical Role, which he co-founded, and remains chief executive officer of. And we’re sure the legion of Critical Role fans are happy he’s playing Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII.
Having said that, we’re sure some fans will find themselves unhappy to hear Hoechlin won’t play the part this time. Especially as the trilogy is just coming to an end. After all, Tyler Hoechlin played Sephiroth in Remake and Rebirth, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Reunion, and Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. Apparently, other acting commitments led to his not returning for the finale, clearing the way for Willingham to take on Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII Revelation.
There’s not a firm release date yet for Final Fantasy VII Revelation. But Square Enix has revealed that it will come out simultaneously on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC sometime in Spring 2027. We can’t wait to see what Travis Willingham will do as Sephiroth.
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