News out of Paley Fest 2012 was preempted by the announcement of two principal cast members returning for the second season of FX's American Horror Story. Fan favorites Zachary Quinto and Jessica Lange are among the early confirmations for actors returning for another go round in the Brad Falchuk and  Ryan Murphy creation. Lange will be playing someone entirely new, as was alluded to by Murphy during an interview last year. The new information, via EW, is that Lange's character will be central to the second season's plot line.  This year, the horror-drama will be set somewhere on the East Coast in an undisclosed "horror institution." If you're new to the series, you're in luck. We recapped the episodes of the inaugural season and have them available for you to check out. If you're already a fan and are as excited as I am to see who else is joining the show, hit the jump.THR was the first to report that Quinto would be returning to the show, but details are slim as to what his character will be. In an interview with EW, Murphy did, however, elaborate on Lange's character and how she will fit into season 2:

“We have designed the second season of American Horror Story completely around her character. Last year Jessica came in with Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott. This will really be the Jessica Lange show so I’m very excited about it. We are designing this amazing new opposite of the Constance character for her. She and I have spoken about different things. She has a lot of ideas, and has a lot of input into her character. She told me some things she has always wanted to play as an actress. She’s a great collaborator and a great friend.”

Murphy had previously mentioned attempting to re-sign four of the actors from season one and was particularly nervous about Lange:

“I really sweated this negotiation, so I’m glad she is firmly on board.”

Obviously, Quinto is the second to return, but who else will be haunting your living rooms this October? Well, the creators kicked PaleyFest 2012 off with a screening of the first season episode, "Birth." In person were Falchuk, Murphy, Lange, Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy, Alexandra Breckenridge and Dean Di Loreto.

Confirmed to return next season will be Paulson  along with Evan Peters and Lily Rabe. Peters had previously played Tate, Lange's character's son and all-around twisted individual. Rabe had played Nora Montgomery, a woman who had lost her baby to a hideous tragedy only to have her baby return to her through a vulgar act of science. Paulson played the psychic Billie Dean Howard. Murphy did not comment further on what characters the actors will be playing except to say that they'll be playing the exact opposite of characters they've already played. The creative team is still writing and plot details will be sure to leak out over the next few months. The second season of American Horror Story will start shooting this July.

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