It's now barely over a month until American Horror Story: Apocalypse finally premieres, and after a lot of intense speculation and rumors, some real—and very exciting—info is finally starting to accumulate about the new season. This will be AHS's eighth season, and Ryan Murphy confirmed a couple of months back that it will also be its first crossover season. Here's everything we know about the next season of American Horror Story:
1) Season 8 is the long-awaited crossover.
Murphy revealed on Twitter in June 2018, after much speculation, that this will indeed be the much-anticipated Murder House/Coven crossover season. He wrote: "The Coven/Murder House AHS crossover season won't be happening next year...because it's happening THIS YEAR. AHS #8 WITCHES RULE THIS SEPTEMBER."
2) All of your Murder House and Coven faves are returning.
Jessica Lange will return to AHS for the first time since Season 4, playing her Season 1 character Constance Langdon. Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott are also confirmed to return as Ben and Vivien Harmon. Other returning includes Taissa Farmiga, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Adina Porter, Cheyenne Jackson, Frances Conroy, Billy Eichner, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Lile Rabe and Stevie Nicks.
Leslie Grossman is playing Coco Saint Pierre Vanderbilt, Billie Lourd is Mallory, Adina Porter is Dinah Stevens, and Kathy Bates is Ms. Meade. Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson and Billy Eichner are also confirmed to return (via Variety). Murphy confirmed that Peters will "play a hairstylist" (via Variety), and on April 7, 2018, Peters shared an Instagram of himself, using a suggestive Snapchat filter, getting into character for AHS: Apocalypse.
3) Season 8 begins with the end of the world.
Though they were characteristically tight-lipped on details, executive producer Alexis Martin Woodall did tease that the new season “begins with the end of the world… and then our world begins.” Asked for more specifics on the type of apocalypse, Woodall cagily said that the show “starts in the real world. It’s very tangible, and it’s a familiar panic.” Which doesn’t really narrow it down, given that life in 2018 American is pretty much wall-to-wall panic!
Murphy previously confirmed that the show takes place in the near future. "I want to go to the future—still topical, but the future, which I’ve never done" he said at the TCA Press Tour in January. While he made it clear that Season 8 wouldn't be going to outer space, he did tell EW, "It’s set in the near future. It has nothing to do with anything you’ve ever seen before. It’s really chilling." Which is both intriguing, and extremely nerve-wracking (as if Twisty wasn't terrifying enough).
Speaking at a pre-Emmy voting For Your Consideration event in April 2018 (via The Hollywood Reporter), Murphy revealed that the new season will be set "18 months from today."
4) Sarah Paulson is playing three roles.
At the August TCA panel, Paulson confirmed that she is playing Venable, Cordelia, and Billie Dean in the new season. She's clearly very much on board to stick around in the franchise, as she told Adweek in October 2017: "I have found a home in the sense that I work for a person who sees me completely, knows my strengths and weaknesses, knows how to push me and keeps throwing me the ball. Why would you leave something that works?" Paulson will also be directing an episode; specifically, the episode in which Lange returns.
5) Cordelia is still the supreme.
This being a Coven/Murder House crossover, you may well be wondering what Cordelia’s status is. “In the beginning of our story, [the supreme] is the title she still holds,” Pauslon confirmed. “I don’t know how long that’s going to last.” Asked whether Cordelia was enjoying her reign, Paulson responded, “Enjoyment is not possible at this particular juncture in this story. She’s not running around like her mother, snorting cocaine and throwing young witches up against the wall, though she may like to be doing that.”
6) The season will likely tackle one of Dante's nine circles of hell.
In an Instagram post in July 2017, Murphy revealed that each season of American Horror Story corresponds to one ofthe nine circles of hell. There are only two left right now—lust and violence—so it's likely Season 8 will focus on one of these themes.
7) It was originally rumored to be called Radioactive.
Some eagle-eyed fans noticed that a new trademark had been filed by Twentieth Century Fox for the title American Horror Story: Radioactive.
People speculated what exactly a radioactive theme might mean for the show, and Teen Vogue reported, "fans on Reddit even think it could be a 'Lord of the Flies scenario' or 'fallout shelter and its inhabitants.'"
8) Joan Collins has joined the cast.
In April 2018, it was announced that Joan Collins would be joining the show. Murphy posted a photo of Collins with Paulson on Instagram, along with the caption, "Cooking up some American Horror Story trouble and fun for these two ladies I love."
Speaking at a pre-Emmy voting For Your Consideration event (via The Hollywood Reporter), Murphy revealed that Collins will be playing Peters' grandmother on the show. He also shared that he is in talks with Anjelica Huston to join the show.
9) Cody Fern will play Murder House's Michael
The Assassination of Gianni Versace star Cody Fern will play Michael Langdon in Apocalypse, Murpy tweeted at the end of July. Michael, of course, is the Anti-Christ born to Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton) in Murder House.
While you wait for Apocalypse, revisit Season 7, Cult, here:
