Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story had humble origins, debuting in 2011 and terrifying audiences who stumbled upon the experience. It wasn’t entirely known at the time that these episodes would ultimately be referred to as “Murder House,” as it wasn’t until the series continued that we’d be given all-new storylines each season, all of which explored all manner of terror. Season 13 is currently being filmed, and over the course of the program, we’ve gotten nightmarish outings dubbed “Asylum,” “Freak Show,” and “Apocalypse.” Even though the upcoming season doesn’t have an official name, new photos confirm a return of fan-favorite characters.
Jessica Lange was confirmed to be part of Season 13, with Murphy himself sharing a cryptic photo of the actor recently. Based solely on Lange’s wardrobe, speculation kicked off regarding whether Lange would play a new or familiar character. Today, Murphy shared another photo from the set, this time of Sarah Paulson. In the caption, Murphy also confirmed that the actor will be reprising her role of Cordelia Goode, which came from Season 3, dubbed “Coven.”
Murphy captioned the photo:
AHS 13
The Return of @mssarahcatharinepaulson as Cordelia Goode.
The Supreme Rises.
And yes we have rebuilt the entire Robichaux Academy.
Coming this September.
Lange starred in the first four seasons of the series, scoring an Emmy Award for her work in “Murder House” and “Coven,” but she has largely been absent from the show, outside of an appearance in Season 8, “Apocalypse.” Paulson, on the other hand, has starred in nine of the 12 seasons, sitting out only “1984.” “NYC,” and “Delicate.” While both of the actors starred in “Coven,” only Paulson is confirmed to be reprising her role from that storyline.
When Murphy shared an image of Lange, he didn’t confirm what role she was playing, but her outfit leads towards her “Murder House” role of Constance Langdon. However, with some actors taking on multiple roles in a single season, it’s anyone’s guess as to how Lange’s character will fit into the narrative. Joining Lange and Paulson in Season 13 are Ariana Grande, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Leslie Grossman.
Part of what makes American Horror Story such a thrill is that, thanks to the variety of storylines, every viewer can have a different favorite season, based on the type of terror they most connect with. Murphy has given us slashers, circus performers, haunted hotels, and backwoods disappearances, but it’s hard to top the effectiveness of “Coven,” which feels like peak Ryan Murphy. Being the third season, the filmmaker got into a groove and had a wealth of storytelling inventiveness. Additionally, that season saw the debuts of regular stars Roberts, Bates, and Bassett.
For as many nightmares as Murphy has given us throughout the tenure of American Horror Story, “Coven” remains the fan favorite, though based on the clues we’ve gotten up to this point, Season 13 could set a new high bar.
American Horror Story
- Release Date
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October 5, 2011
- Network
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FX
- Directors
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Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Jennifer Lynch, Michael Uppendahl, Loni Peristere, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Ryan Murphy, David Semel, Howard Deutch, Michael Lehmann, Angela Bassett, Jeremy Podeswa, Max Winkler, Michael Rymer, Paris Barclay, Axelle Carolyn, Anthony Hemingway, Craig Zisk, Elodie Keene, Jennifer Arnold, Jessica Yu, John Scott, Laura Belsey, Liz Friedlander, Maggie Kiley
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
