Ever since American Horror Story was renewed for Season 6 a few months back, fans have been waiting patiently for any substantial news to come out about the upcoming insanity that will almost definitely involve dildos. And while the presumably multi-faceted plot is still a mystery sewn into a mattress, we now know who the first cast member is: Angela Bassett.
Yasss, queen. Of all the moving parts with American Horror Story’s past five seasons, Angela Bassett has been one of the best in the years since she joined the cast. Which isn’t to say she’s given the best material of anyone – I’m still bummed Ramona Royale didn’t have a more consequential purpose in American Horror Story: Hotel – but her delivery is consistently cheer-worthy, and she exudes enough sass and confidence to appear more powerful than even the most dangerous threats, both alive and not. I’m going to celebrate this news with a rousing rendition of Bobby Bare’s “Marie Laveau.”
And now we can begin the speculation over who Bassett might be playing in the next season. Considering we know exactly nothing about the central narrative, I’m going to blindly guess that she’ll be a woman with special abilities, possibly supernatural in nature, and that she’ll be an unexpected influence on another main character’s decision-making skills. I hope I’m right.
There’s no telling how long we’ll be waiting to hear what area of horror co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk will be smashing its characters into when the next season starts, but there have already been rumors. Last month, murmurs surfaced claiming that Season 6 might concern itself with the spooky Internet sensation the Slender Man, although those were shut down not long after they went public. It would have been a good angle, since Slender Man would allow for the story to go in virtually any direction, but perhaps the legitimate approach will be more exciting. And maybe Angela Bassett will be the main character!
Bassett, who was in one of last season’s best scenes, actually broke the news of her involvement to Larry King in an interview that will be airing on March 2. Check out a clip below, in which she also tries to explain the appeal of American Horror Story.
FX is presumably months away from announcing a release date for Season 6, but we can expect it to debut in October. As far as Bassett’s potential co-stars go, I think the Golden Globe-winning Lady Gaga will almost certainly be coming back, and there are so many other regular actors in this series that it’s probably easier to guess who won’t be returning. In the meantime, stay tuned for more news as it hits.
