This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Follows the legendary vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), who has reinvented himself as a rock star in the contemporary American music scene. Despite some initial reservations, almost everyone, including the author, agrees Aaliyah was captivating as Queen Akasha. What they wanted was a movie based on 'The Vampire Lestat.' Director Michael Rymer told Vulture, "I'd gone to see Stuart Townsend in 'Orpheus Descending' with Helen Mirren, and he was just riveting. Queen of the Damned's debut stirred mixed feelings when it hit theaters on Feb. 22, 2002. We were in a quarry 20 kilometers from Melbourne. About the writer: Allison Shoemaker is a Chicago-based pop-culture critic and journalist. On August 25, 2001, after filming a music video for her song "Rock the Boat" in the Bahamas, Aaliyah and seven other people from the shoot boarded a Cessna 402B, which crashed minutes after takeoff. Because of the involved storylines, many characters, and large swaths of time covered in Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" series, large portions of each book were condensed and cut from the film. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Vampire Rock Star+ Flashback of his past. While making her way back home with a pregnant Maharet, Mekare curses the king and queen secretly with Amel. Please select a reason for reporting this video and add an optional comment. Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". Pre-Twilight, Post-Buffy blend of smouldering stares, campy "gothic" chills and an immense craving for unintentional cringe comedy, the late R&B singer Aaliyah stars as "Queen of the Damned" Akasha, who appears more Queen of the Desert than anything, like a female Frank N' Furter in a crown having to tread heavily through the soggy dialogue - the novel is good, the film isn't - and Stuart Townshend doesn't do much to help her out eitherexcept glare. Read critic reviews. Although it is an adaptation of the third book of The Vampire Chronicles series, it contains many elements from the book, The Vampire Lestat. And the studio went on and made the movie, and the movie was not really based on my work. The unusual element that lifts this collection beyond being a typical various-artists album masquerading as a soundtrack is the inclusion of five specially written songs by Jonathan Davis and Richard Gibbs that relate, at least slightly, to the film. Also present are Mael and Khayman, who already know the story. Although the studio may have not felt rushed, some who were unhappy with the final results of their efforts chalked the flawed movie up as a rushed job. Coming Soon. This article is about the Anne Rice novel. She previously starred alongside Jet Li in "Romeo Must Die" (2000), an action film that, like Rymers flawed vampire story, suggests that Aaliyahs film career could have matched her music career in both success and impact. Pandora and Santino rescue Marius, having answered his telepathic call for help. His music wakes Akasha (Aaliyah), the queen of all vampires, and inspires her desire to make Lestat her king. As reported by The Age, Rice wasn't happy with the first draft of the script and she shared this opinion with her fans via her website. The story follows the vampire Lestat, who rises to fame as a rock star, but his music awakens the Vampire Queen from her eternal sleep, freeing her to wreak havoc upon the mortal world. The Queen of the Damned was a film adaptation from Anne Rice's vampire novel. Jesse : You know you're brave joking like that, I wish you could meet him. And more importantly, he had this effect on women. Jesse Reeves, a member of the secret Talamasca and relative of Maharet, is mortally injured while attending the concert, and is taken to be made into a vampire at Maharet's compound in California's Sonoma Mountains. Horror, Original Language: Having been awakened by Lestat's rebellious music, Akasha destroys her husband Enkil and plots to rule the world. Twenty years after her death, the singers music will continue to live on. DMCA. Terms and Policies According to Den of Geek, Warner Bros. purchased the rights to the first three "Vampire Chronicles" books in 1990 and had a decade to produce films based on the novels. The history and importance of the Order of Talamasca have been omitted from the film, leaving us with Jesse's loose associations with the order and her invented-for-the-screen love triangle with Lestat and Akasha (per Den of Geek). Various Artists - Queen of the Damned - Amazon.com Music CDs & Vinyl Metal $1427 $3.99 delivery February 28 - March 15. Living in the shadows, feeding in the darkness with only your own company to keep, rots into a solitary, hollow existence. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter Two years later, she teamed with R. Kelly to make her first record "Age Aint Nothing But a Number." As reported by the BBC, Aaliyah's family sued Virgin Records America over the plane crash. In this loose sequel to Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), the vampire Lestat becomes a rock star whose music wakes up the equally beautiful and monstrous queen of all vampires. It was produced by Richard Gibbs and Jonathan Davis of American nu metal band Korn. Although the studio put together a list of prospective actresses including Halle Berry and Regina King, and the director even met with Cher, Warner Bros. never seriously considered another actress for the role (per Vulture). Alas, the studio made the controversial choice to loosely base their "Queen of the Damned" adaptation on elements from books two and three in Rice's wildly successful trilogy. . After their brief visit with Talbot they depart into the night, an incensed Louis and his angry words filling Lestat with glee. She is the author of "How TV Can Make You Smarter," and a member of the Television Critics Association and the Chicago Film Critics Association. In 2000, the rights would revert to the author Anne Rice if the studio didn't start production during the calendar year. He plays the role of Vampire Lestat, a powerful and ancient vampire being both charismatic and arrogant. Warner Bros. had good reasons for casting Aaliyah as Akasha, though. Taking history, geography, and representation into account, director Michael Rymer told Vulture, "I just had a very strong belief that if we were going to do African queens, we had to have a person of color" in the role of Akasha. I did feel trepidatious about that on a personal level, but adaptation often demands that." in 1985, a wild and voluptous voice spoke to us, telling the story of The Vampire Lestat.. . Club Vampire : There aren't any ancients left. The Queen of the Damned deals with the origins of vampires themselves. That's gonna be amazing." I'm sure the book was a lot better. His music wakes Akasha (Aaliyah), the queen of all vampires, and inspires her desire to make Lestat her king. The gothic, threatening tone of the music is appropriate to a horror movie, but the soundtrack also does double duty as a genre sampler. During filming, Aaliyah approached Gibbs about writing a song for her. The Queen of the Damned deals with the origins of vampires themselves. Despite the poor reviews and commercial response to "Queen of the Damned," no one involved in the movie was unhappy with Aaliyah's performance. She was a bit shell-shocked by how many changes we'd made to the story." By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Director Michael Rymer Writers Anne Rice Scott Abbott Michael Petroni Stars Aaliyah Stuart Townsend Marguerite Moreau Featuring: Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez, Lena Olin, Paul McGann. But, there was a problem the storyline of the third novel wouldn't make sense without exploring Lestat's origin story. Richard Gibbs, who co-wrote the music for the film, told Vulture, "He had all the rock-star moves down" for the concert scene. Saralegui told Vulture, "Aaliyah's the best thing in the movie, and she's also the reason why probably almost anybody's gonna see it now.". Cookies help us deliver our Services. R (Vampire Violence), Genre: Queen of the Damned - Official Movie Trailer 2.53K subscribers 764K views 12 years ago Queen of the Damned is yet another vampire film based on an Anne Rice novel. Copyright Fandango. StarringStuart TownsendAaliyahMarguerite MoreauVincent Perez Directed byMichael Rymer Tubi logo Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn COMPANY RELATED: About. Her signature style of a crop top or bandeau top paired with baggy jeans, with long hair partially covering her left eye, is emblematic of her "sweet but street" style and still emulated today. Privacy Policy After losing interest in immortality, vampire Lestat goes to sleep, awakening after a long time to the sounds of punk rock. But a young London woman with a gift for the occult falls in love with Lestat and wields a far greater power than the vampires expect. Our team will review your report and take appropriate action as soon as possible. As reported by Vulture, initially the studio was interested in casting Wes Bentley from "American Beauty" as Lestat, but he, too, passed on the role. A sequel of sorts to 1994s "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles," director Michael Rymers "Queen of the Damned" is loosely based on the second and third novels in Anne Rices "Vampire Chronicles" series. The Great Family represents all humanity and shows the vampires what Akasha would destroy with the creation of her New World Order. Scott Abbott, It's so bad. However, the result on all other vampires is extreme, and many of the weakest vampires die, thus confirming the legend that anything that harms Akasha will also directly affect all of her progeny. and the Cannot understand why my fellow vampire lovers raved about this movie. She became involved with R. Kelly and the two were secretly married when Aaliyah was just 15. I cannot wait to see him in the film.". As a result of her enthusiasm and commitment to the role, Aaliyah embodied the grace, power, and violence of the vampire queen, making her both seductive and frightening, dangerous and sexy thus encapsulating the fundamental appeal of vampires. The film was primarily shot in Australia, where the director Michael Rymer lives, with additional scenes shot in Los Angeles (per Vulture). As many involved in the project have since said, these novels are better suited to sprawling miniseries rather than the constraints of a theatrical release. 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