Did you hear ABC is coming out with a new show called Who Wants to Be a Vampire? Yup, and each week the contestants will come from a pool of Hollywood actors who desperately want to tap into the "youth market" and do a solid for the tween market. I kid, of course, but it certainly feels like that's what's been happening of late now that Twilight has wreaked havoc on the industry and taken an entire sub-genre hostage.
The latest casting rumor claims Robert Downey Jr. is now angling to play a vampire. Not just any blood sucker, mind you, but Anne Rice's iconic Lestat de Lioncourt, once played by Tom Cruise in Neil Jordan's adaptation of Interview with the Vampire and Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned. Lestat, of course, shows up in many of Rice's vampire novels, and this time Bloody Disgusting claims Universal is looking to reboot The Vampire Chronicles with Downey Jr. as the blond bi-sexual who's fond of music, fashion and his own awesomeness.
Perhaps Universal became fond of Downey Jr. in the role after seeing some of the wild, turn-of-the-century outfits he's wearing in Sherlock Holmes (due out this winter). Either way, Downey Jr.'s enthusiasm and charisma should make him a perfect fit for the role. Whether or not we actually need a reboot of The Vampire Chronicles is an entirely different post all together.
What do you think? Downey Jr. as Lestat? Vampire Chronicles reboot? Sound off below…
