American Horror Story Star Sarah Paulson to Play Cult Leader Gwen Shamblin in New HBO Series

American Horror Story star Sarah Paulson has been cast as real-life cult figure Gwen Shamblin in HBO Max’s scripted adaptation of its docuseries The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin. According to Deadline, Paulson will also executive produce. The series will be showrun by Michelle Dean who co-created Hulu’s limited series The Act. The series was first announced back in April.

Shamblin first rose to fame with her Christian-based diet program, Weigh Down Workshop, and founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in Tennessee. Shamblin was a charismatic figure with a carefully crafted public image, but who was accused of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse and exploitation by ex-congregants and diet followers and was accused by some of having cult-leader like control. The 2021 docuseries The Way Down detailed Shamblin’s story, but before work on the series was finished, Shamblin died in a plane crash, prompting the final two episodes of the series to be edited to incorporate the turn of events. The Way Down is currently streaming on HBO Max.

In addition to Paulson, Dean will also serve as executive producer on the scripted series which comes from Ross Dinerstein’s Campfire Studios and Chrissy Teigen’s Huntley Productions. Dinnerstein and Teigen also executive produce as does Marina Zenovich, who directed the docuseries. Nile Cappello, P.G. Morgan, Luke Dillon, Rebecca Evans, and Ross Girard serve as co-EPs. The series is currently still in development.

For Paulson, this is not the first time that she’s played a real-life figure. The actress was nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story. As for her work on American Horror Story, while the series is set to return for Season 11 sometime this fall, it will do so without Paulson — though she is open to returning in the future.

“It’s not that I’m not open to it,” Paulson said previously. “I’m always open to it, but I feel like I’ve been doing it for a long time, and people might start getting sick of me in that world. Let someone else scream and run and cry for a second. Other people can do that too! Also, my nervous system. There was a time when I was younger when I was like, ‘I can do this all night. I love it!’ Now I’m like, ‘Momma’s tired!’”