Updated

Updated · Vogue · Aug 12

American Horror Story Brings Back 3 Franchise Stars for Season 13, Premiering September 24

Updated

Updated · Vogue · Aug 12

American Horror Story Brings Back 3 Franchise Stars for Season 13, Premiering September 24

Q: After swearing off the show in 2015, what spectacular musical number finally convinced Jessica Lange to return to American Horror Story?

It wasn’t a specific announced song that brought Jessica Lange back. Ryan Murphy said she agreed to return only on the condition that Season 13 give her **a musical number**. Neither Murphy nor the available reports have revealed what that number will be. The coverage only makes clear that Lange wanted to sing again, echoing her earlier memorable AHS performances such as **“The Name Game”** in *Asylum* and **“Life on Mars”** in *Freak Show*. So the direct answer is that the incentive was **the promise of a new musical performance**, not a publicly identified spectacular song title.

Q: What terrifying new evil awaits Joey Pollari's character that is supposedly even more powerful than the Antichrist in AHS Season 13?

It has not been revealed. Ryan Murphy has only said that Joey Pollari’s character will be the story’s anchor as returning heroes and villains unite against a new “ultimate evil” that goes “beyond the Antichrist.” Based on the reporting available, there is no confirmed identity, name, or mythology yet for that threat. Murphy has deliberately kept the plot specifics secret while describing Season 13 as an “Avengers”-style crossover and a “greatest hits” reunion of classic American Horror Story characters. Some online coverage and fan commentary have speculated about possibilities such as Satan, God, or another cosmic force, but those are theories, not confirmed facts. The only solid takeaway is that the antagonist is being positioned as more powerful than Michael Langdon, the Antichrist from Apocalypse, and central to Joey Pollari’s storyline. So for now, the honest answer is that the terrifying new evil awaiting Pollari’s character remains under wraps until FX and Hulu reveal more or the season premieres on Sept. 24.

3 articles · Updated · Vogue · Aug 12

September 24 is the premiere date for American Horror Story’s 13th season on FX and Hulu, with Jessica Lange returning as a regular more than a decade after saying she was done.
Ryan Murphy said he built Season 13 as a 13-episode “greatest hits” chapter, persuading Lange over dinner before quickly securing Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters.
Lange will reprise 4 past characters, Peters 5 and Paulson 6, with Murphy saying the season mixes classic villains with a new story rather than a Coven reboot.
Joey Pollari plays the new narrative anchor, while Paul Anthony Kelly, John Waters, Alex Consani and Avantika Vandanapu join a season Murphy describes as an AHS “Avengers” battle against an “ultimate evil.”