After sitting out last season of horror anthology series "American Horror Story," Kathy Bates is officially returning to the fold for season eight.

Creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy revealed the exciting news in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, teasing that Bates's role would be a big one.

"Kathy and Sarah Paulson have a lot of great stuff to get to do," Murphy told EW. "So, with Evan Peters, the three of them are the leads this year."

Naturally, the producer didn't give anything away about the plot or theme of season eight, declining to definitively state whether the rumored title, "Radioactive," was right or wrong. ("It's an interesting idea," he mused to EW.) Still, regardless of just who she's playing, fans should be happy to see Bates back on the series, after she was forced to skip out on last year's "Cult" due to a scheduling conflict with her Netflix series "Disjointed." (That show has since been cancelled, paving the way for Bates's first "AHS" appearance since season six's "Roanoke.")

The actress has already won an Emmy for the series, and has also racked up two other noms for her "AHS" work. Based on Murphy's comments, we wouldn't be surprised if she's in the running for another statuette soon.

Season eight of "American Horror Story" is set to start filming this summer. Stay tuned for more intel as it becomes available.

[via: Entertainment Weekly]