Ryan Murphy, inventor of the horror-comedy, has just added a host of new people to his upcoming Fox anthology series Scream Queens. In addition to previously reported stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Roberts, The Hollywood Reporter announces that Lea Michele, Joe Manganiello, Abigail Breslin, and Keke Palmer have all joined the show as cast regulars. Ariana Grande has also joined the show as a recurring guest star.
Details are sketchy about what roles these actors will play in a first season reportedly involving a series of murders on a college campus. However, a casting breakdown indicates that the story will revolve around three young women, a father, and whatever the hell Curtis is doing on the show. (Presumably she took the job upon receiving a script where her character was simply named, “Whoever Takes Over Winning Best Actress Emmys After Jessica Lange Leaves American Horror Story.”) Michele is finishing up the final season of Glee, so the prospect of joining a show that makes people recoil in horror while also laughing basically doesn’t change anything for her, job-wise.
Scream Queens is scheduled to begin production in the spring. Following the arc of all other Murphy-created shows, it is expected to begin strongly, then gradually go off the rails as it becomes clear that no one has any idea what is going on.