South suburban native Keke Palmer cast in new Fox series ‘Scream Queens’

PASADENA, Calif. — South suburban native Keke Palmer has joined the cast of “Scream Queens,” Fox’s upcoming comedy-horror anthology series from the creators of “Glee” and “American Horror Story.”

Other series regulars announced Saturday at the TV critics’ press tour include Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Lea Michele (“Glee”) and Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”). Grammy Award nominee Ariana Grande will guest star in a recurring role.

As previously reported, “Halloween” star Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story”) will star in the series, which revolves around a college campus rocked by a string of murders.

Fox has ordered 15 episodes and plans to roll out “Scream Queens” this fall.

Lauren “Keke” Palmer, 21, spent her early childhood in Robbins, performing in the St. Peter Claver Church choir and attending St. Benedict School in Blue Island.

Palmer’s first film role was playing the niece of Queen Latifah in the 2004 Chicago-shot film “Barbershop 2: Back in Business.” Her family soon moved to Los Angeles where the young singer and actress hit it big as the title character in “Akeelah and the Bee” in 2006. She came aboard “Masters of Sex” in the second season of the Showtime period drama and made history late last year as the first black actress to play Cinderella on Broadway.