.@rihanna to check into #BatesMotel as Marion Crane in the 5th and final season!https://t.co/7t2pRL43cf
— Bates Motel on A&E (@InsideBates) July 22, 2016
In a surprise move announced yesterday at Comic-con, Rihanna has joined the cast of A&E’s “Bates Motel” series for its upcoming 5th season.
The series is a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1960 film “Psycho” (based on Robert Bloch’s novel of the same name), and depicts the lives of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in the film, although in a modern setting.
Rihanna sent the above special video to announce to fans that she’ll be playing Marion Crane – the role originated by Janet Leigh in Hitchcock’s film. As those who’ve seen the film will know, Marion goes on the run with a wealthy man’s money, and is later murdered in the shower by Norman Bates in one of the most iconic horror movie scenes of all time. Even if you haven’t seen the film, I’m sure you’ve seen the infamous sequence.
However, since this is a prequel to the film, and the producers are taking creative liberties with the source material, the Marion Crane character in the TV series may not have a similar arc as she did in the Hitchcock film, or the novel it’s based on. So I wouldn’t expect a scene in which Rihanna’s Marion Crane is murdered in a shower at the hotel.
Or maybe she will be… stay tuned.
“We wanted to thrust the iconic role into a contemporary spotlight and redefine it in a meaningful and exciting new way,” executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin said about the casting at Comic-Con. “We also heard Rihanna was a fan of the show, and we were huge fans of hers, so it was the perfect collision of creativity and fate.”
Also announced at Comic-Con was that season 5 will be the last in the series. Premiering on March 18, 2013, “Bates Motel” is A&E’s longest-running original scripted drama series in the channel’s history. A&E hasn’t always been a network for original scripted series. The series’ lead actors, Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, have received praise for their performances in the series, with the former receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
It’s a series I watched the first season of, and I actually enjoyed it. But with so much else competing for my attention, and the fact that I eventually got rid of cable TV (yes, I’m one of those cord-cutters), I haven’t kept up with the series. Although the first 3 seasons are streaming on Netflix, so I will catch up eventually – at least with seasons 2 and 3. I’m sure season 4 will make its way there (or elsewhere – Hulu, Amazon Prime) at some point before season 5, which won’t premiere until some time in 2017.
By the way, Rihanna will also appear on the big screen in Luc Besson’s upcoming $180 million space opera, “Valerian,” an adaptation of a French sci-fi comic titled “Valérian and Laureline.” Besson hasn’t shared what Rihanna’s role is in the film; although when her casting was announced a few months ago, the director said: “She has a big part!! I’m Sooo excited!!!” (The exclamation points are all his).
Watch the famous “shower scene” from Hitchcock’s “Psycho” below:
