American Horror Story': Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters Returning for Season 3

Jessica Lange isn't the only American Horror Story castmember returning for season three.
our editor recommends

During a Thursday press screening of Wednesday's second-season finale of Asylum, co-creator Ryan Murphy confirmed to reporters that Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters also are coming back for next season.

"I'm just now meeting with a lot of actors, so I don't want to say too much," Murphy said. "But they're actors Jessica wants to work with -- so she's sort of become a noncredited producer on season three, because she loves doing the show."

Details about next season -- including its likely subtitle -- are again being kept under wraps, but Murphy confirmed that it would be a modern-day story revolving around Lange. "We do have a great icon, and it's a woman," he said, noting that the show again would be inspired by things that he's personally interested in.

"I always start off with things that I've always been obsessed with," Murphy said. "The season that we're just about to do is another thing like that asylum thing that I was always really interested in as a kid. I come up with the story, and it's obviously always now crafted around Jessica, for the most part. Before I talk to anybody, I go to her and tell her what the story is and tell her what the character is, and she has input. This year, she said, 'I would like to work with X, Y, Z' -- people she's always wanted to work with."

While details of Lange's exact role -- like everything else -- are scarce, Murphy said she would play a "really glamour-cat sort of lady."

Paulson and Peters would join Lange as having been in all three seasons of the FX anthology series -- with the former having a minor role in the first year as a psychic named Billie who coincidentally provided the clue to what Asylum ultimately would be about. Murphy also noted that the duo might not be the only season-one castmembers coming back for AHS' third year.

"I will say that for season three, we are going to have some actors from season one who will return," he noted. "I like that idea. I know that those actors are interested in that."

After two seasons of death and (literal) insanity, the Glee and New Normal co-creator also said AHS would explore familiar themes. "What season three is about is more historical in nature," he teased. "I'm also interested in getting into a horror romance. That's certainly something that's going to be in the water for season three.

"You're going to see a very different tone in season three, but that's the joy of the show," he added. "I think as a person right now I do feel lighter and wanting to embrace something a little bit more fun."

Murphy told reporters that, like season two, next year again will jump between time periods -- and cities -- and remain a self-contained 13-episode season.

"I hope the show goes for 10 years, because I have so many different kinds of horror that I would like to write about," he said. "I love that you can jump periods, you can play with different actors. I know the actors love playing different characters, so it's something that we'll always stay with."

Peters, for his part, played a former serial killer named Tate confined to the house the Harmons bought in season one. In the just-ended season, he played Kit, a beleaguered good guy who was recently freed from Briarcliff, the institution for the insane at the heart of the sophomore edition.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/american-horror-story-season-3-sarah-paulson-evan-peters-413542

Cool!