Bates Motel Season 5: Rihanna Joins Final Season as SPOILER!
Carissa Pavlica
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Move over Janet Leigh, there's a new Marion Crain in town!
Leigh played the iconic, never forgotten and ill-fated character in the 1960 Hitchcock classic, and Rihanna is set to take over for the 2017 Bates Motel edition.
In fact, Rihanna was so excited about it, she even filmed a bit of her own shower in her own bedroom to share the news.
Executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin released a statement after the panel:
“We wanted to thrust the iconic role into a contemporary spotlight and redefine it in a meaningful and exciting new way."
"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.”
Separately, Cuse talked to EW before the panel, “We are going to meet Marion Crane, but what we don’t want to do is create the impression that we’re redoing the movie because we’re not at all.”
Cuse continued, “She’s a very different person in the movie and her story plays out in a different way.”
The final season, which will return in the fall of 2017 (that's so far away!), will showcase the talents of the actors outside of acting, as well.
Vera Farmiga, who WILL return as a series regular as Norma Bates, will also serve as executive producer.
Max Thieriot (Dylan) will direct his first episode of the series.
Nestor Carbonell (Romero) will direct his third episode of Bates Motel.
Freddie Highmore (Norman) will pen his second episode of the series alongside Ehrin and Cuse.
For those of you confused about the final season confirmation, Ehrin and Cuse have said all along they envisioned a five season arc for their characters, and at the very least, we here at TV Fanatic have expected the conclusion of their story at the end of Bates Motel Season 5.
And to reiterate, Farmiga will continue on the series as a series regular throughout the final season.
Said Cuse, “She [Norma] still exists in Norman’s imagination."
"He will become an increasingly unreliable narrator and through his point of view, we’re going to see a lot of her. She’s very much a character.”
If you recall, at the end of Bates Motel Season 4, Norman attempted to kill himself and mother because he didn't think they belonged in this world.
His plan didn't work, as he survived and she didn't. The remainder of the series should follow his descent into the madness we met in the film Psycho.
You can watch Bates Motel online to catch up.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
