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THE LATEST (8/30): Are you ready for even more American Horror Story: Cult news? FX shared even more character photos from the upcoming season, which includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Leslie Grossman and Chaz Bono. And if you look closely, you can see clowns in every photo.

Check it out for yourself above! Then read on for everything you need to know about AHS Season 7.

HARD INFO

Release Date: Tuesday, Sept. 5

Rating: TV-MA for violence, language, sexual content

Network: FX

Last season: Roanoke, which premiered on Sept. 14, 2016 and ran for 10 episodes

PLOT

It was first announced back in October that American Horror Story was renewed for Season 7. Co-creator Ryan Murphy teased the experimental season to Entertainment Weekly. “It’s my secret season,” he told the site. “I’ve been working with a writer on a season that only he and I know. It’s like a two-year project that we’ll continue to work on the sly and not tell anybody.”

Fast forward to last month, when he revealed Season 7 will focus on the 2016 presidential election, as if living through the real one wasn't terrifying enough. It's "going to be about the election that we just went through, so I think that will be interesting for a lot of people," Murphy said on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live. “I don’t have a title, but the season that we begin shooting in June is going to be about the election that we just went through."

He later told The Hollywood Reporter,

"American Horror Story is going to be about the election that we just went through. And what I’m interested in doing is not just the obvious, single-minded point of view but rather express all sides of that equation. What needs to happen in our country now is for people to listen to each other—we may not always agree with each other and we may be horrified by what the other side is doing but we have to move toward understanding. So that’s one example of what I’m going to do."

While it hasn't been revealed just how far they plan to take this terrifying election theme, Murphy previously teased the storyline of Freak Show will somehow make its way through Season 7. "Next year, we will be going back to some Freak Show characters, deeper histories and mythologies. So we’re sort of still exploring Season 4 in Season 7," he said. No word if this plan is still in effect or if the season will revisit popular characters like Jimmy Darling and Dandy Mott.

In an April interview with E! Online, Murphy spilled the beans on the show's opening scene that features actual Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump footage. "We don't have actors playing them. You'll see them on television. The first 10 minutes of the season, this season, takes place in a very eerie macabre way on election night," he explained. "And there's something terrible that happens in the lives of our characters on election night as they're watching it all go down. Which in itself was a horror story, so it's like a horror story upon a horror story." 

But that's not all! Murphy also discussed the possible return of loved AHS veteran Jessica Lange, who recently (and sadly) stated she has no plans to come back to the series. Yet the co-creator thinks differently. "Jessica, it's always all about, ‘Well, what is it creatively and how is it interesting?' Jessica doesn't care if it's big or it's small, she cares if she gets to do something that's interesting to her at that time," he told E! Online. "But she and I are obviously very close and we talk all the time and dish the dirt about everything. She's really the coolest person ever."

Murphy, who is continues to unfairly tease us, shared a drawing of what appears to be the newest monster to join the AHS family in early May:

"American Horror Story Season 7 tease," he captioned the photo. It is a version of the Republican elephant symbol, only it is more terrifying than pleasant. The drawing features black holes as eyes and a grimacing, blood-red smile. Oh, this should be fun...

He also announced in early May that Leslie Grossman is the latest actress to join Season 7. "My friend Leslie Grossman is joining this season of American Horror Story," he wrote in his Instagram caption. "One of the funniest and most talented ladies I know. Congrats Ms Leslie G!" Unsurprisingly, there's no word yet on which role Grossman will play in the upcoming election-themed season. The actress previously starred in What I Like About You, Nip/Tuck, 10 Things I Hate About You (the series), Scandal and Murphy's The New Normal.

On May 15, the showrunner posted a mysterious clue on Instagram with someone's head with their hair dyed a pastel blue. "AHS Season 7: Red, white and blue clue," the caption reads. The person's face isn't shown, so you cannot tell if it is a male or female. But it's later confirmed to be Evan Peters.

Back in May, Evan Peters was seen on set looking roughed up as he is surrounded by television reporters and cameras outside a courthouse. Peters' blue hair is pulled back in a bun and he is rocking a suit and arm sling. There's still no word of what his actual character is, but at least we finally see the first look.

During San Diego's Comic-Con, the title for American Horror Story Season 7 was revealed to be—drumroll please—"Cult."

FX's announcement also came with a new website and video that features a group of terrifying-looking clowns dressed in all black who also reveal the "Cult" title. The video is marked "week one" with seven other videos locked away until further notice. If that wasn't enough excitement, FX announced the Season 7 premiere date. Look out for the latest AHS installment on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

On July 24, Ryan Murphy returned with another Instagram reveal! The American Horror Story producer teased Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters' characters, who are named Ally and Kai.

"Ally and Kai in CULT...a love story for the ages," Murphy wrote alongside a drawing of the longtime AHS cast members in (very ghoulish) character. This won't be the first time the two actors portrayed a couple. For last season's Roanoke, they played husband and wife Rory Monahan and Audrey Tindall.

THE CAST

Veteran AHS cast members Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters are set to return for Season 7, as confirmed at the winter 2017 TCA Press Tour. Paulson and Peters have played eight and seven characters throughout the anthology series, respectively. No word yet on what roles they will play, but Murphy clarified that Paulson isn't actually portraying Hillary Clinton. He told E! News, 

“I think people literally think Sarah Paulson is playing Hillary Clinton, and I wanted to clarify that that is not true. Horror Story is always about allegory, so the election is allegory. It’s our jumping off point. It is about the election we just went through and what happened on that night and the fallout of that night, which to many people, from all sides of the camps is a horror story. And you know, that show is always so fun when it's about the zeitgeist and what we're doing now." 

While the season is based on the election, Trump and Clinton will serve more as minor characters instead of having lead roles. During PaleyFest LA's TV panel on Sunday, Paulson was asked which role she'd like to reprise from the FX series. “Probably Cordelia. We only got to see her just getting her powers,” she coyly said of her Coven character. “I just would like to know if the power might have been something that kind of changed her. Maybe we’ll get to see that.”

Cordelia Foxx was the ultimate Supreme and headmistress at Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in AHS Season 3. If true, this would be the third time Paulson will reprise a role. In Season 6's Roanoke finale, her Asylum character Lana Winters made a surprise return. Denis O’Hare, Kathy Bates, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Cheyenne Jackson and Adina Porter were also on the panel. But it wasn't confirmed if they will be returning to AHS.

Paulson may have previously teased the return of her Coven character, but she's actually thinking of playing another infamous person in the upcoming season. At PaleyFest over the weekend, the actress told TVGuide.com:

"I'd love to play Kellyanne Conway. First of all, where is she? We haven't seen her in a couple weeks. What's going on? ... She was everywhere. We could not get her to shut up. And now, where is she? ... Don't get me wrong. I'm appreciating the silence, the quiet, but I am curious. That's an American horror story for you: What happened to Kellyanne Conway?" 

AHS veteran Denis O'Hare joked that Ryan Murphy should cast someone as Ivanka Trump or Steve Bannon, "because he's the scariest person alive." 

Billy Eichner and Billie Lourd are confirmed to join the cast as well, but details of their characters have not yet been revealed. The rising actress first made her TV debut in FOX's Scream Queens (another one of Ryan Murphy's projects), where she plays Sadie Swenson/Chanel #3. Murphy is notorious for crossing over actors from one of his series to the next.

Get ready for Twisty the Clown to haunt your dreams once again because the character will return for Season 7. Ryan Murphy revealed the thrilling news on—where else?—Instagram. "He's Baaaaaack," the producer captioned the photo of the clown on the front of what appears to be a comic book. Twisty was played by John Carroll Lynch in Freak Show and became one of Season 4's best characters. As of now, there's no word on how his appearance will tie into the election-themed season.

AHS mainstays Frances Conroy (Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, Roanoke) and Mare Winningham (Coven, Freak Show, Hotel), Cheyenne Jackson, Adina Porter, Emma Roberts, Frances Conroy are also back for Season 7.

BEHIND THE CAMERA 

Ryan Murphy continues to be the mastermind behind this wild ride along with co-creator Brad Falchuk.

THE FUTURE

As busy as Murphy is with other TV projects, he isn't slowing down the AHS train any time soon! FX announced at January's Television Critics Association winter press tour the series is renewed for Seasons 8 and 9. It's not confirmed when, but a Murder House/Coven crossover season may happen with Lady Gaga's The Witch character making a return. 

"It’s not going to be next season, but we are going to do a season that’s a crossover between Murder House and Coven together, which is very bizarre,” Murphy told Entertainment Weekly last October.

TRAILERS

For more, check out:
—The Complete Guide to Fate of the Furious
—The Complete Guide to Stephen King's It Remake
—The Complete Guide to Deadpool 2

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