Everything we know so far about American Horror Story: 1984
FX and Ryan Murphy’s long-running anthology series American Horror Story is returning for its ninth season this fall, but details on the project have been noticeably sparse.
What we do know is that this season is titled American Horror Story: 1984. Rather than a reference to the dystopian George Orwell novel, 1984 will serve as an homage to the slasher films of the 1980s, like the Friday the 13th franchise.
On July 8, Variety reported that Sarah Paulson — who has appeared in all eight seasons of AHS — “will not appear in a significant role” in 1984, but that it was possible she could still have a cameo. A source confirmed to EW that Paulson is not currently one of the leads in AHS 1984, but nothing has been ruled out for the 10-episode season.
Evan Peters, who has also appeared in all eight seasons of the show, and Billy Eichner, who starred in Cult and Apocalypse, have both said they will not be returning for 1984.
Here is the video where Evan Peters told me he will not be returning to American Horror Story. This is the first time in nine seasons he will not be part of the show! #AHS pic.twitter.com/Eb30bXzMFR
— crldsnts (@CandidlyCarlo) April 2, 2019
Thank you! I can’t do AHS this year but boy oh boy I had a blast and I love all those crazy kids a lot. ❤️ https://t.co/ntnNdombY1
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) May 24, 2019
However, Murphy announced in February that Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy had been cast to play returning AHS cast member Emma Roberts’ boyfriend.
A post shared by Ryan Murphy (@mrrpmurphy) on Feb 6, 2019 at 9:52am PST
Later in July, Murphy released an Instagram video showing the full cast, which in addition to Roberts and Kenworthy includes AHS veterans Billie Lourd, John Carroll Lynch, Leslie Grossman, and Cody Fern as well as Murphy favorites Matthew Morrison (Glee) and Angelica Ross (Pose), and newcomers DeRon Horton (Dear White People) and Zach Villa (Shameless).
A post shared by Ryan Murphy (@mrrpmurphy) on Jul 11, 2019 at 9:25am PDT
Previously, when Murphy announced the title for season 9, he posted a teaser of an anonymous girl being chased through the woods surrounding a summer camp by an imposing figure carrying a large knife, but that was the closest we’d gotten to knowing what the vibe of 1984 will be like.
A post shared by Ryan Murphy (@mrrpmurphy) on Apr 10, 2019 at 6:38am PDT
A teaser released end of July expands on what the vibe of the season will be, showing more of Camp Redwood, and some of the creative ways the killer plans on attacker counselors.
The first trailer finally gives fans some insight into what the story of the season will be, though, with a group of young aerobics enthusiasts (including Roberts, Lourd, and Fern) deciding to go work at a camp soon to be terrorized by Mr. Jingles, a murderous mental patient on the run.
American Horror Story: 1984 will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 10 p.m. ET on FX.
This article was originally published June 24, 2019, and most recently updated Aug. 27.
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