Set in 1964 at the Briarcliff Manor mental institution, the series will star stage and screen veterans Jessica Lange as the stern nun Sister Jude; Zachary Quinto as forward-thinking psychiatrist Dr. Thredson; and James Cromwell as Dr. Arden, potentially a Nazi, who is responsible for the Raspers, a group of mutated humans who reside in the forest outside Briarcliff.

Also starring are Lily Rabe as institution second-in-command Sister Eunice; Joseph Fiennes as Monsignor Timothy O'Hara; Sarah Paulson as a lesbian journalist who is committed to the institution after she almost exposes its secrets; and Chloe Sevigny as Shelley, a nymphomaniac inmate.

Additional cast members include Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine and Jenna Dewan Tatum as Leo and Teresa, a newlywed couple visiting the modern-day institution, and Evan Peters as a new inmate accused of murdering his wife, played by Britne Olford.

American Horror Story: Asylum is created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The first season is the series is nominated for 17 Emmy Awards.