‘American Horror Story’ Season 7: Ryan Murphy Teasing Glenn Close Casting?

Glenn Close might be appearing in an upcoming Ryan Murphy project like American Horror Story if the executive producer gets his way.

Murphy posted a photo on his Instagram page Monday that has many fans buzzing. The photo features Murphy bonding with Close backstage at Sunset Boulevard, with the producer writing an interesting caption alongside it.

“Backstage after SUNSET BLVD with the incredible Glenn Close,” he writes. “One of my dreams is to work with this legend and I’m gonna make that dream come true!”

As seen from the comments on the Instagram page, many fans asked whether this meant Close would appear in American Horror Story Season 7, which is still in the development stages. Murphy has not said anything more on the matter, but “I’m gonna make that dream come true” arguably sounds like he’s confident in a budding working partnership.

Murphy has many irons in the fire outside of American Horror Story, including future seasons of American Crime Story and Feud. It’s possible that he could be lining Close up for one of those projects, though the Instagram comments clearly show a passion for getting the actress on American Horror Story.

If Close were to appear on American Horror Story, it would be in keeping with the show’s focus on confident actresses of a certain age. After all, Jessica Lange helped command the show’s first four seasons, and major actresses like Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett were picked up along the way. Additionally, Close is well known for playing a strong villain, from Alec Forrest in Fatal Attraction to Cruella de Vil in the live-action 101 Dalmatians to Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons.

Close is currently playing fading silent film star Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway. The nature of the character reflects the type of role Jessica Lange often played with her American Horror Story characters (as well as in Feud as Joan Crawford). Close spoke with Today‘s Matt Lauer back in January about how older women are treated in Hollywood, admitting it hasn’t changed that much since the ’50s and ’60s.

“If you’re talking about Hollywood as a studio system, I don’t think it’s changed. If anything, I think it’s even more difficult. I think where it’s changed is in the world of television, in the world of cable, in the world of all these wonderful mini-series, where a lot of the top writers are now going into that arena.”

Murphy has helped lead the charge of bringing older actresses to television. In addition to Lange, Bates, and Bassett, Murphy has collaborated with actresses like Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Judy Davis, Frances Conroy and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Close has already done television in the past, winning two Emmys for her role as Patty Hewes on FX’s Damages and having an arc on FX’s The Shield.

Regular cast members Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters are slated to return for Season 7 of American Horror Story, after starring as different characters in the show’s first six seasons. Meanwhile, Billy Eichner and Billie Lourd are slated to make their AHS debuts with Season 7. Little else is known about the new season, but Murphy has teased that it will have something to do with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, where Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. The actual season name has not been revealed as of yet. It remains to be seen if Close will be part of Season 7.

American Horror Story Season 7 is expected to air this fall on FX, though the network has yet to announce a specific premiere date.

[Featured Image by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP]