Career Timeline of Anne Rice: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Anne Rice, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Anne Rice was a celebrated American author known primarily for her gothic fiction, erotic literature, and biblical fiction. She gained widespread recognition for her series, The Vampire Chronicles, which explored themes of immortality, love, and existentialism within a gothic framework. Her novel, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted into a successful film, further solidifying her influence in popular culture. Rice's writing style is characterized by its lush prose, detailed world-building, and exploration of complex characters, making her a significant figure in contemporary horror and fantasy literature.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1973: Writing Interview with the Vampire

In 1973, Anne Rice turned a short story into her first novel, Interview with the Vampire.

August 1974: Attending Squaw Valley Writer's Conference

In August 1974, Anne Rice attended the Squaw Valley Writer's Conference and met her future literary agent, Phyllis Seidel.

October 1974: Sale of Interview with the Vampire

In October 1974, Phyllis Seidel sold the publishing rights to Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire.

May 1976: Publication of Interview with the Vampire

In May 1976, Interview with the Vampire was published.

1976: Publication of Interview with the Vampire

In 1976, Anne Rice's professional writing career began with the publication of her novel, Interview with the Vampire.

1985: Publication of The Vampire Lestat

In 1985, The Vampire Lestat debuted, receiving more positive reception than Interview with the Vampire.

1988: Stan Rice Retires

In 1988, Stan Rice retired from his position as chair of the creative writing department at San Francisco State.

1988: Publication and Success of The Queen of the Damned

In 1988, The Queen of the Damned was published, becoming a main selection of the Literary Guild of America and reaching the No. 1 spot on The New York Times Best Seller list.

1994: Interview with the Vampire Film Release

In 1994, Anne Rice's novel, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted into a commercially successful film of the same name.

1994: Exit to Eden Film Release

In 1994, Exit to Eden, erotic fiction authored by Anne Rice under the pen name Anne Rampling, was adapted into a film.

1994: Release of Exit to Eden Film

The film Exit to Eden, based on Anne Rice's book published as Anne Rampling, was released in 1994, starring Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd.

1997: Publication of Violin

In 1997, Anne Rice published Violin, a tale of a ghostly haunting.

1997: Television Pilot 'Rag and Bone'

In 1997, Anne Rice wrote the story for a television pilot entitled Rag and Bone, which aired on CBS.

1999: Earth Angels Presentation Pilot

In 1999, Earth Angels, a presentation pilot written by Anne Rice, was picked up by NBC.

2000: Statement Against Fan Fiction

In 2000, Anne Rice released a statement that disallowed all fan fiction based on her works, particularly The Vampire Chronicles, citing copyright issues.

2001: The Feast of All Saints TV Adaptation

In 2001, Anne Rice's book, The Feast of All Saints, was adapted for television.

February 2002: Release of Queen of the Damned Film

In February 2002, the film adaptation Queen of the Damned was released, starring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah.

2002: Plans for Mayfair Witches Miniseries

In 2002, NBC had plans to adapt Anne Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy into a miniseries, but the project never entered production.

October 2005: Announcement of Writing to Glorify God

In October 2005, while promoting her book Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Anne Rice announced in Newsweek that she would use her writing talent to glorify her belief in God, without renouncing her earlier works.

December 2005: Lestat Musical World Premiere in San Francisco

In December 2005, the musical Lestat, based on Rice's Vampire Chronicles books, had its world premiere and preview run at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, California.

2005: Publication of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

In 2005, Anne Rice began a series called Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.

April 25, 2006: Lestat Musical Opens on Broadway

On April 25, 2006, the musical Lestat, based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books, opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.

May 28, 2006: Lestat Musical Closes on Broadway

On May 28, 2006, Lestat closed on Broadway after just 33 previews and 39 regular performances.

March 2008: Publication of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

In March 2008, Anne Rice published Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.

November 2008: Working on Christ the Lord: Kingdom of Heaven

In November 2008, Anne Rice was working on the third volume of Christ the Lord series, Kingdom of Heaven.

2011: Servant of the Bones Comic Book

In 2011, Anne Rice's novel, Servant of the Bones, formed the basis of a comic book miniseries.

February 2012: Early Stages of Development for Christ the Lord Film Adaptation

In February 2012, a film adaptation of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was reported to be in the early stages of development, with Chris Columbus producing and Cyrus Nowrasteh having completed the script.

2012: Milder Stance on Fan Fiction

In 2012, Metro reported that Anne Rice developed a milder stance on fan fiction, stating it's been easy to avoid reading any.

March 9, 2014: Announcement of Prince Lestat

On March 9, 2014, Anne Rice announced the completion of another book in the Vampire Chronicles, titled Prince Lestat.

August 2014: Universal Acquires Rights to Vampire Chronicles

In August 2014, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.

October 28, 2014: Release of Prince Lestat

On October 28, 2014, Prince Lestat was released.

November 8, 2014: Filming Completed for The Young Messiah

On November 8, 2014, Anne Rice revealed that filming had finished on the movie The Young Messiah, based on Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and was going into post-production.

2015: Release of Beauty's Kingdom

In 2015, a sequel to the Sleeping Beauty trilogy, Beauty's Kingdom, was released.

November 2016: Rights Reversion and TV Series Development

In November 2016, Anne Rice announced on Facebook that the rights to her novels had reverted to her, and she and her son, Christopher Rice, would be developing a potential television series based on the novels.

November 2016: Rights Revert to Rice; Television Series Planned

In November 2016, the film and television rights to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles reverted to her after Universal Pictures did not renew the contract; Rice began developing a television series based on the novels with her son, Christopher.

2016: Release of The Young Messiah

In 2016, the film The Young Messiah, based on Rice's novel, was released.

April 2017: Teaming up with Paramount and Anonymous Content

In April 2017, Anne and Christopher Rice teamed up with Paramount Television and Anonymous Content to develop a television series.

July 17, 2018: Series in Development at Hulu

On July 17, 2018, it was announced that a series based on Anne Rice's novels was in development at streaming service Hulu.

December 2019: Hulu's Rights Expire

As of December 2019, Hulu's rights to Anne Rice's series had expired, and Rice was shopping a package including all film and TV rights to the series.

May 2020: AMC Acquires Rights

In May 2020, it was announced that AMC had acquired the rights to The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches for developing film and television projects, with Anne and Christopher Rice as executive producers.