'American Horror Story' Enlists Kathy Bates for Season 3

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Kathy Bates

American Horror Story has enlisted a new rival for Jessica Lange.

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Kathy Bates is near a deal to join the FX anthology series, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

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As first reported by TVLine, Bates will play the best friend-turned-enemy of Lange's new character in the series, which reboots itself every season.

Plot details are again being kept under wraps, but co-creator Ryan Murphy (Glee) has said the third season will be more upbeat than the recently concluded Asylum chapter.

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"What season three is about is more historical in nature," he told reporters during a January screening of the Asylum finale. "I'm also interested in getting into a horror romance. That's certainly something that's going to be in the water for season three. You're going to see a very different tone in season three, but that's the joy of the show. I think as a person right now I do feel lighter and wanting to embrace something a little bit more fun."

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Bates, who recently revealed her double mastectomy as she battled cancer, starred for two seasons on NBC's David E. Kelley legal drama Harry's Law. She joins an AHS season three cast that includes returning stars Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy and Lily Rabe.

Bates, an Oscar winner for 1990's Misery and nominee for About Schmidt and Primary Colors, is repped by ICM Partners and Susan Smith.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit