American Horror Story: Delicate – Trailer, Story & Everything We Know About AHS Season 12

The AHS franchise isn’t losing steam after the immensely popular NYC, as American Horror Story season 12 — titled American Horror Story: Delicate — looks set to once again push the boundaries for Ryan Murphy’s anthology show. The American Horror Story universe has expanded significantly in recent years, as Ryan Murphy also helms an episodic anthology spinoff series titled American Horror Stories. Even after a decade on air, American Horror Story continues to craft terrifying tales with a highly talented cast, with no end in sight for the franchise. This time around the story will be the adaptation upcoming novel Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine, a new approach for AHS.

American Horror Story season 11 shook things up by focusing on serial killers and the HIV/AIDs epidemic of the 1980s, and American Horror Story: Delicate is primed to bring new twists as well. The season looks like it will go back to the more cult-styled horror as a pregnant woman begins to believe there is a conspiracy involving plans for her unborn baby. Delicate was initially met with controversy over Ryan Murphy casting franchise newcomer Kim Kardashian in a lead role alongside AHS veterans like Emma Roberts and Zachary Quinto, but all reports so far indicate the creator of American Horror Story knows exactly what he’s doing for season 12.

RELATED: American Horror Story Season 12 Is Taking 2 Massive Risks (That Could Save The Show)

The Latest American Horror Story Season 12 News

In American Horror Story: Delicate news, there is a premiere date for the new AHS chapter. With filming not complete, some believed that a release date might not happen until after the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, but that is not the case. American Horror Story season 12 will premiere on September 20 on FX and will be available to stream on Hulu the next day.

There is, however, a catch to the American Horror Story: Delicate release date. It’s dubbed “Part One” on the social media accounts associated with the series and on the newly released posters. The full story likely won’t conclude in Part One, but filming being interrupted has caused the series to need a hiatus between episode batches so that the series can be completed at a later date.

The posters for AHS season 12 have hinted at what’s to come in the creepy story. Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts each have their own poster for the series, and each of theirs features them holding what would be a baby bump, but instead, it’s a large spider attached to the front of them. Cara Delevingne’s poster, on the other hand, shows that she might be part of the reason for the traumatic pregnancies that will occur during the season. Her character holds a needle with a spider inside of it. As has often been the case with American Horror Story imagery, the posters are unsettling and provocative at the same time, sure to get fans talking.

Prior to the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike, production on AHS season 12 remained ongoing, something that the Writer’s Guild of America did take issue with. Many TV shows shut down in solidarity with writers since there were no operating writer’s rooms to produce more scripts and on sets, no one would be allowed to make changes to existing scripts, or it would violate strike terms. As a result, New York picketing by the WGA often occurred right outside of filming for American Horror Story’s Delicate season.

In fact, in early July, the WGA themed a fantasy day of the strike for picketing outside the production. Music like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was played in keeping with the horror themes of the production they were outside, and according to the New York Times, the writer’s protesting outside made it clear that they were not protesting showrunner Ryan Murphy specifically. Murphy, who is a member of the WGA, is also a producer and director, and often pulls triple duties on his television shows. As a result, he was well within his rights to keep working as long as no script changes were made.

American Horror Story Season 12 Release Date

The American Horror Story season 12 release date was set for August 1, 2023. That is the same day the source novel, Delicate Condition, goes on sale. However, while that date has been changed. With the writer’s strike underway, the production has hit a standstill. There is a single writer penning Delicate, but with former AHS writers striking, the filming has been delayed. Now, the series is set to premiere one month later on September 20, 2023.

There should be more seasons of American Horror Story after Delicate, too. In 2020, FX renewed American Horror Story through season 13, so there are already more two seasons confirmed after AHS: NYC’s ending. “It could be one of those weird things where we keep going, and it ends up being 20 seasons,” FX chairman John Landgraf said. Ryan Murphy agreed, saying, “[Roanoke] was the season that made me think ‘OK, this show can go for 20 years.’ Because we can keep playing with the format, the form.“

American Horror Story Season 12 Cast

The American Horror Story season 12 cast has a huge addition for the show — Ryan Murphy has signed Kim Kardashian to play one of the main roles. While a reality TV megastar, Kardashian is not an actor by trade, and her place on the American Horror Story: Delicate cast has been questioned by some. However, several people have stood up for Kardashian, including Murphy and AHS veteran Zachary Quinto. Joining her as the other main female star is Emma Roberts, who will play Anna Alcott. This is Emma Roberts sixth turn in the American Horror Story cast,

After a four-year absence from the franchise, American Horror Story fans were excited to find out that Emma Roberts would be returning to the series. She first appeared in the anthology series in season 3, Coven, and appeared in several seasons either in lead roles or cameos. Emma Roberts’s last American Horror Story appearance was season 9, 1984, as Brooke in 2019.

With the series filming on location, cameras have spotted Emma Roberts in action. Twitter fan account AHS Zone shared that Roberts was spotted filming American Horror Story: Delicate in a brown dress with a group of women following behind her. The sequence actually has the look of a commercial or promotional video, which would make sense considering Roberts is playing an actress in AHS season 12.

Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts are far from the only known faces in American Horror Story: Delicate. Cara Delevingne has also signed on for the AHS season 12 cast, and Annabelle Dexter-Jones following up her role as Naomi Pierce on Succession with a part in American Horror Story: Delicate too. Matt Czuchry, who starred in The Resident and The Good Wife, signed on for the role of Dex. Rounding out the known AHS season 12 cast that is known so far is Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), Julie White (Transformers), and Debra Monk (New Amsterdam).

In more AHS season 12 news, Zachary Quinto revealed his returning to American Horror Story for a cameo in the new season. Quinto was in Murder House as one of the victims of Tate Langdon’s ghost. He had an even bigger role in season 2 as Dr. Oliver Thredson/Bloody Face in Asylum. He returned last season in NYC, and now he is coming back for Delicate. He talked about his cameo in the series and also talked about the controversial casting of Kim Kardashian as one of the main characters in the season.

I did a cameo on this season of American Horror Story and I got to meet her. She was so lovely and warm and, really, I don’t think she needs my advice. She seemed really in her element, and I was really impressed by her spirit and her openness. I really look forward to seeing this season because I think she’s gonna do a wonderful job.

American Horror Story Season 12 Story Details

The American Horror Story season 12 story is based on a book. However, that doesn’t really give anyone a hint to the story as the book has not been published yet. The novel is Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine, and all that is known so far is the synopsis of the story. The book is a thriller about a pregnant woman who is convinced a sinister conspiracy is at work to keep her from having her baby. While her doctor claims she lost the baby, she still feels she is still pregnant. When her husband doesn’t take her concerns seriously, she decides there are evil forces at work and that there are people following her. The comparison here is to Rosemary’s Baby.

American Horror Story Season 12 Trailer

An AHS: Delicate trailer has been released by FX, despite the release date being pushed back until September. The trailer itself has the usual juxtaposition of glamour shots and creepy American Horror Story iconography. In this case, it’s the actresses alongside various thematically-foreshadowing objects like claws. The American Horror Story season 12 teaser, however, draws much of its imagery from the nursery rhyme “Rock-a-Bye, Baby,” which also gets a suitably creepy cover for the video.

What’s most interesting about the AHS season 12 trailer is how it presents Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, and Kim Kardashian. While the audience watching the trailer for Delicate knows that the different shots are of the different actresses, and they obviously have different features to distinguish them, their makeup and costuming make them look very much the same. Blonde hair, bright red lipstick, black gloves, and the same lenses make the three actresses look nearly exactly alike. That will certainly raise eyebrows going into American Horror Story season 12.