We all gagged last year when teaser images for the fourth season of American Horror Story circulated around the web touting a Circus theme.  Despite the popularity of those posters, those images turned out to be fake (there seems to be a lot of that going around), with Ryan Murphy debunking the idea himself.

Now, after a  a podcast with Nerdist Writers Panel, AHS writers might be bringing those rumors back to life.  Could "Carnival" be the Season 4 theme?

During the podcast, writer and co-executive producer Douglas Petrie shakily confirmed the rumors of the setting of the new season when asked directly about the buzz around "Carnival": "Yes -- that was the, it -- it does not have a title."  Podcast moderator Ben Blacker then asked, "But that's the setting?" and Petrie confirmed, "That's the idea, that's very roughly the idea." Listen for yourself at approximately the 33 minute mark.

So, is Petrie trolling us?  Or was Ryan Murphy the liar?

Either way, we're already starting to think about a fantasy cast.  Kathy Bates as the bearded lady.  Jessica Lange as the bitchy German lion tamer.  Dennis O'Hare as a child-molesting clown.  We could keep going, but you get the idea.