Everybody Is Playing Everybody on American Horror Story 13

“I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me,” Madison Montgomery says in American Horror Story: Coven. Now that line can refer to Supreme Cordelia Goode and Robichaux Academy. Also Twisty the Clown. And four Jessica Langes. Here’s everything we know.

Murphy calls this season his Avengers movie

On April 8, FX announced yet another return to New Orleans for season 13 of American Horror Story. “The Supreme Rises,” the caption reads on Instagram. “And yes we have rebuilt the entire Robichaux Academy.” At first, it looked like Coven was the main returning locale for this outing of AHS, but Murphy says it’s actually much bigger. “Everybody thinks it’s a Coven season and it’s not. It’s all the seasons,” he said in July. Folks from Freak Show were formally announced May 20. John Carroll Lynch and Mat Fraser are returning to the Ryan Murphyverse, reprising their AHS: Freak Show characters Twisty the Clown and Paul the Illustrated Seal. There are also rumors swirling on Reddit that Sarah Paulson will be serving double duty as Cordelia and Double Feature’s Mamie Eisenhower.

This will be the second mash-up season of American Horror Story. AHS: Apocalypse was about Cordelia Goode (formerly Foxx) taking on the coven of boy witches headed by Antichrist Michael Langdon, introduced in Murder House. Paulson died in that season, but she got better with some time travel.

Who is Jessica Lange playing?

The real question is: who isn’t Jessica Lange playing? in a August 6 Hollywood Reporter story, Murphy confirmed Lange would be playing all four of her characters: Constance Langdon, Sister Jude, Fiona Goode, and Elsa Mars.

Any other returning stars?

Lynch, Fraser, Lange, and Paulson are joined by hella Murphyverse vets. Some are back as previous characters, while others remain unnamed. And multiple people are playing multiples. Paulson is playing six or seven AHS characters, Peters is doing five.

We know for certain that Emma Roberts is back as Madison Montgomery, Billie Lourd is ascendant supreme Mallory, Gabourey Sidibe is Queenie, and Angela Bassett is Marie Laveau. Mena Suvari is reported to make a return as Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. In AHS lore, she was killed in the Murder House. Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, and Leslie Grossman are TBD. Newbies to the AHS-verse include Love Story’s Paul Anthony Kelly, John Waters, and Madelaine Petsch.

What’s the theme of the season?

The official trailer for AHS 13 came out and gave us some idea of what the dang heck is going on. Constance Langdon appears to be conspiring with John Waters in a New York high rise to do, uh, something involving a really old guy. Mamie Eisenhower is there, as is Madison Montgomery. You know, the girlies. Murphy and Falchuck appear to be blending other properties into their big crossover season, as Madelaine Petsch falls victim to a plane crash that’s more 9-11 than AHS.

Wasn’t Ariana Grande going to be in this?

Originally, Ariana Grande was announced to be in the show. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts got int he way and now her one and only Murphy production is Scream Queens. Bring back Scream Queens.

When does AHS 13 come out?

FX is kicking off Halloween early, with the first ep of AHS 13 premiering September 24.