American Horror Story season 8 release date announced

'Witches rule this September'

The next season of American Horror Story is right around the corner.

After showrunner Ryan Murphy teased "witches rule this September", announcing that season 8 will feature the highly-anticipated Murder House/Coven crossover, the series has finally revealed its premiere date for the new episodes: 12 September.

It’s a concept he first hinted at in 2016, teasing: ”There will be characters from Murder House and characters from Coven together”. A statement which drove fans a little wild at the time, considering the implication we might see fan-favourites Jessica Lange and Connie Britton make their grand returns.

However, Lange and Britton aren’t amongst the officially announced names for this season’s cast, which currently includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Katy Bates, Cheyenne Jackson, Billy Eichner, Adina Porter, and Leslie Grossman. Joan Collins will also join the cast, with Murphy also stating he’s “talking” to Angelica Houston.

It also appears as if Paulson and Peters will be playing new characters in the season (although American Horror Story has never been afraid of getting actors to double up on parts): Peters will play a hairstylist and grandson to Collins, while Paulson will apparently be donning some kind of “dental appliances“ on the show.

Murder House closed on Constance (Lange) reuniting with her grandson Michael, the Antichrist), while Coven ended with Cordelia (Paulson) revealed as the new Supreme, opening the doors of her academy to the world and revealing the true existence of witches. It could very well be, then, that the Coven is called upon to defeat the Antichrist.

Murphy had also previously said: "You will see so many fan favorites return that you’ll feel like it’s The Love Boat. It’s a very high concept.” Which could suggest that the season will help tie the universe together in a way we’ve not seen before: perhaps connecting the likes of Lady Gaga’s The Countess from Hotel, the Mott family from Freak Show and Roanoke, and the alien visitors of Asylum.

When it comes to American Horror Story, anything is possible. Season 8 returns to FX in September.

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