Is Sarah Paulson going to appear in the new season of American Horror Story? That's the big question floating around right now, as there has been some serious doubt cast on that front. Multiple reports have come out stating that Paulson wasn't going to appear in the upcoming season of the anthology horror series, the ninth overall, but there has been at least some confusion. Now, we may have an answer.

According to a new report, Sarah Paulson will indeed be featured in American Horror Story:1984. Though, she's said to have a reduced role and won't be a main character in the new story. Paulson has appeared in every single season of the series to date and she almost always has a major role. The last time she was featured in a reduced role was during the show's first season, Murder House, in which, she appeared in just three episodes as Billie Dean Howard, a paranormal medium. It's unclear at the present time just how minimal Paulson's role would be in the upcoming season. But the real question is, why is her role going to be reduced? She's been a huge staple of the series and certainly a big part of its continued success.

This same report states that it has to do with AHS creator Ryan Murphy's new show Ratched, which serves as a spin-off series to the heralded 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Sarah Paulson is set to play the role of Nurse Ratched on the show, filling the shoes of actress Louise Fletcher, who played the part originally. That show comes as part of Murphy's massive overall deal with Netflix and has already been given a two-season order. Since Paulson will be the lead, it's unlikely she will have time to squeeze in another leading role on the FX horror series as well.

As for what we do know about American Horror Story: 1984? Per usual, at this stage in the game, not all that much. Ryan Murphy likes to play things pretty close to the chest. What we know for sure is that this season will be inspired by slasher movies such as Friday the 13th and Halloween. A brief teaser trailer has been released, but it merely sets the tone and doesn't give us a whole lot of actual meat to chew on. The cast will include series regular Emma Roberts. She'll be joined by Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy who is a newcomer to the series and will play her boyfriend.

American Horror Story initially debuted in 2011 and has since gone on to become one of FX's most reliable hits. Sarah Paulson, for her part, has been nominated for five Emmys for her work on the series. American Horror Story: 1984 is set to debut on September 18. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the upcoming season are made available. This news was previously reported by Deadline.