The creator of "American Horror Story" Ryan Murphy compared the upcoming thirteenth season to a large-scale crossover in the spirit of "Avengers", whose heroes gather together to fight a common enemy:
"It's like in 'Avengers'. They all come together to defeat absolute evil. Many actors refused to return for years, but now they have decided that for such an occasion they must do it."
Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Jessica Lange will have particularly extensive work. Paulson will once again play six or seven of her characters, and Peters will return to five previous roles. Lange will embody all four heroines she played in the series: Constance Langdon, Sister Jude Martin, Fiona Goode, and Elsa Mars.
Back in 2019, Jessica Lange claimed that she would no longer return to "American Horror Story". However, Murphy interested the actress with the concept of the new season:
"When I pitched the idea to Jessica Lange, she said, 'Damn, now I have to agree.'"
Initially, viewers assumed that the continuation would be a direct development of "Coven". Familiar witches will indeed appear in the new episodes, but their story will only be part of a larger plan:
"Everyone thinks it's going to be a 'Coven' season, but it's not. It will unite all seasons. I spent many months on the script and wanted to make the thirteenth part special. It turned out cool and fun."
The cast also includes Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, John Waters, and Paul Anthony Kelly.
The thirteenth season of "American Horror Story" premieres on September 24 on FX, and will appear on Hulu the next day.