Fox is assembling a remarkably high-profile cast for its upcoming Ryan Murphy anthology series Scream Queens. In addition to previously-cast series leads Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis, the comedy-horror series will star Lea Michele (Fox’s Glee), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Zombieland), Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee) and Joe Manganiello (HBO’s True Blood). Meanwhile, Victorious co-star and breakout chanteuse Ariana Grande has landed a recurring role.
Whether all those actors will be singing as well as acting is unclear, but it’s a sure thing that Michele, Palmer and Grande will belt out at least a few numbers. Breslin is a likely candidate for a singing role, too, seeing as she showcased her vocal abilities in the little-seen drama Janie Jones back in 2010 and has also been an occasional member of dream-pop band Stargroves.
The stacked cast is less surprising when you consider the show’s pedigree. Scream Queens hails from Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan; that talented trio will exec-produce alongside Dante Di Loreto. It will reportedly adhere to the same anthology format of Murphy and Falchuk’s American Horror Story franchise on FX, which Di Loreto also exec-produces; this first season centers on a college campus that is rocked by a series of murders.
It sounds reminiscient of slasher pics like Halloween and (especially with Roberts and Curtis in the cast) Scream, but it’s a good bet that Scream Queens‘ blend of music and murder will set it apart from other recent horror fare on the small screen. If it can strike a similar tone to the terrific Stage Fright, Scream Queens, which enters production this spring with a planned fall 2015 premiere for its 15-episode first season, could very well be must-see television. As it is, we’re just excited that Fox is taking a chance on a horror series that isn’t The Following or American Idol.