Two big names are joining the cast of Ryan Murphy’s new show Scream Queens. Deadline reports that Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis are the first two casting decisions that have been announced for the anthology series.

Scream Queens is Murphy’s newest series that will air on FOX next year. And like American Horror Story and the upcoming American Crime Story, Scream will have the same format of following a different cast of characters and storylines each season.

Season 1, consisting of 15 episodes, will center on a college campus that has been rocked by a series of murders.

FOX Orders Ryan Murphy Comedy-Horror Show Scream Queens >>>

When FOX announced back in October that they had greenlit the show (and in a straight-to-series order, no less), Murphy said, “We hope to create a whole new genre — comedy-horror — and the idea is for every season to revolve around two female leads. We’ve already begun a nationwide search for those women, as well as 10 other supporting roles.”

And now we know those two female lead roles for the first season are going to Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Roberts is no stranger to working with Ryan Murphy — or to horror projects, for that matter. She joined American Horror Story in season 3, Coven, as the young witch Madison Montgomery, and can currently be seen in season 4, Freak Show, as Maggie Esmerelda. Within the horror genre, the actress also starred on the big screen in Scream 4.

Since both AHS and Scream Queens will be airing in the fall, it seems likely that Roberts will be finished with AHS after the current season is over, unless Murphy is somehow able to make the scheduling work.

Jamie Lee Curtis, on the other hand, is new to the Ryan Murphy universe. Like Roberts, Curtis is very familiar with horror projects, as she starred in Halloween in 1978, which was her very first film role. It was this role that earned her the title of “scream queen,” so it seems like this casting decision may have been a no-brainer. Other horror roles for Curtis include The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, along with sequels to Halloween.

Curtis announced in 2006 that she was quitting acting to spend more time with her family, though she has since appeared in various films and TV shows, and now will be a series regular.

What do you think of these casting decisions? Are you excited to see Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis on Scream Queens? And who else do you want to see join the cast?

Scream Queens, which is also being executive produced by Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan and Dante Di Loreto, will premiere in the fall of 2015.

(Images courtesy of WENN)

Jeff Dodge

Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.