Ryan Murphy knows how to put together some amazing casts, as well as some disturbing visuals, and that’s no different for his upcoming Fox horror comedy anthology Scream Queens, which already locked in Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Roberts. This inaugural season has gained four more actors in Glee’s Lea Michele, Ender’s Game’s Abigail Breslin, Nickelodeon star-turned-pop musician Ariana Grande, True Blood’s Joe Manganiello, and True Jackson, VP’s Keke Palmer. That’s a…killer…array of performers.
While plot details are being kept under wraps for now, Scream Queens will spend 15 episodes telling a story set on a college campus where a series of murders send everyone into hysterics. According to THR, a casting breakdown says three young women will lead the series, along with Curtis’ role and a father role. I’d say all the bases are covered here if that’s a legit report. Let’s take a look at each of the actors now.
Beyond a little voicework and a cameo on Sons of Anarchy, Lea Michele’s acting resume is pretty blank, so her hopping into a comedy horror is a fairly fascinating thing to consider. Her role within the show isn’t hinted at, but you can damned sure be certain the Murphy-Michele connection will lead to a musical performance of some kind. Or several.
Abigail Breslin is likely to be a co-lead with Roberts, according to THR, which would work well, since she’s well-versed in spookier genres. Accompanying her roles in Little Miss Sunshine and August: Osage County are leading parts in Zombieland, Haunter and The Call. Her upcoming roles are for the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring zombie drama Maggie and Tyler Shields’ vengeful thriller Final Girl. She’s meant to break into TV on something filled with dead people.
Along with Michele, this will be Ariana Grande’s first shot at such adult material, as she’s more used to series like Sam & Cat and Victorious. She’s pegged for a recurring role, rather than a starring one, so she’ll probably be in the ones where Lea Michele sings a lot. There will be singing, dammit. Or queens screaming in tune at the very least.
The former Flash Thompson, Joe Manganiello’s main claim to fame in the horror genre has been True Blood, in which he played the testosterone-oozing werewolf Alcide. He’s definitely the right age for a “Father” role, although I hope he gets to do shit besides just reacting to what his daughter and her friends are going crazy over. I’m into him leading a neighborhood manhunt.
And then there’s Keke Palmer, who co-starred with Ariana Grande in a voice role sense on the various Winx Club series. She was in last year’s blood-soaked horror Animal from Brett Simmons, as well as a few episodes of Showtime’s Masters of Sex, but has yet to find a solid role to call her own. Let’s hope Scream Queens is it.
This first installment of Scream Queens is set to go into production this spring, and will air this fall on Fox. Do you guys like this new assortment of cast members?
