Usually when the FX panel for ‘American Horror Story‘ happens at PaleyFest we find out what the upcoming season of the show will be about but this time, creator Ryan Murphy has claimed he is still deciding between two choices. Well, the way he phrases it means he either has two stories that he is choosing from or two stories that will be running through the series at the same time. While the past panels usually hinted at both the plot and cast members for the series, this time around we’ve only received confirmation on eight returning cast members and no mention of who might be joining the lineup.

Murphy’s exact quote is:

“The interesting thing about the next season is that we’ve been working on two ideas at once, which we’ve never done.”

Which means I suspect that we’ll be getting two stories in one and with how the series runs I bet they’ll be connected through quite an interesting twist. While he wouldn’t tell us what the show will be about or bring up the Slender Man rumor which has been floating around for the upcoming season he did hint that “the opera” is one of the main influences for the creative team. Not only that but with the child vampires in the last season we know that horror “often deals with the innocence of children, and their wide-eyed way into it. Both (Season 6) ideas we’re working with have elements of children.”

One could read this as a direct reference to being Slender Man related. Of course, any parent can tell you that children or the loss of children are the two scariest things that you can run into.

No new casting was confirmed though a few ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ cast members were on stage for the fun and Murphy did confirm that they would be rejoining the cast. They were: ” Kathy Bates, Denis O’Hare, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, Wes Bentley, Cheyenne Jackson, and Matt Bomer”

While the story is still being ironed out we know that FX CEO John Landgraf had previously mentioned that “it’s set in two time periods — in the present with echoes of the past — but principally in the present.” which could be how the two stories are being told and will end up being connected. Not only that but Lada Gaga previously mentioned that she was planning to come back for the upcoming season so while she wasn’t at PaleyFest I think it’ll be a safe bet that we see her grace the small screen once again.

Are you looking forward to the sixth season of ‘American Horror Story’? What do you think that the Opera influence could be for the upcoming season? Share your thoughts below!

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter