Since it was announced at last year's Comic-Con that Rihanna would play the iconic role of Marion Crane in the fifth and final season of A&E's Bates Motel, many fans have been waiting to get their first look at the musician / actress' take on the classic Janet Leigh character. That wait is now over.

Originally unveiled by EW, two new images of Rihanna as Marion Crane have been revealed, as well as a teaser trailer that features fresh looks at familiar faces who will cross paths with Norman in season 5, including Caleb, Chick, and Alex Romero.

At Comic-Con 2016, Daily Dead and several other journalists spoke with Bates Motel executive producers / writers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin, and they shared their thoughts on casting Rihanna as iconic Psycho character Marion Crane:

Carlton Cuse: We've been talking about putting Marion Crane in the show for a long time.We were very concerned about it because we wanted to make sure that we could do our own version of it. Funny, we ran all these things, people pitching actors who looked like [Janet] Leigh. We wanted to define that character in our own way. I read this article in which Rihanna said that she was a fan of Bates Motel. I said to Kerry, "What about Rihanna?" And Kerry was like, "She'll never do it." I was like, "She can't say no unless you ask the question."

I called her agent, asked the question, they said she actually would be interested. We then had a phone conversation with her, we talked about our idea for the character and how we wanted to make it original and different from what's in the movie. She got very excited about it and we made a deal.

Kerry Ehrin: It's going to be fun. We're very excited to work with her. I'm excited to work with her as an actress. I just think that's going to be a really cool thing.

Carlton Cuse: Yeah. I think she really has the desire to expand her presence as an actor. I have a lot of confidence that that's something that she'll be very good at.

You can view the new images and teaser trailer below, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for more coverage of Bates Motel ahead of the final season's premiere on Monday, February 20th at 10:00pm ET on A&E.

From the Press Release: NEW YORK, NY – January 9, 2017 – The haunting fifth and final season of the critically acclaimed drama, “Bates Motel,” from writers and executive producers Kerry Ehrin (“Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”) and Carlton Cuse (“Lost, “The Strain”) will premiere on Monday, February 20 at 10PM ET/PTon A&E. Fan favorite and Emmy-nominated actress Vera Farmiga returns for double duty as executive producer while also reprising her role as ‘Mother’ who is very much alive and well but only in the twisted, complicated mind of ‘Norman Bates’ played by Freddie Highmore. In addition, eight-time Grammy Award winner and series super fan Rihanna checks in to play the role of ‘Marion Crane,’ putting a newly reimagined and contemporary spin on the iconic character.

This contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho has provided fans with an intimate look into the unraveling of Norman Bates’ psyche throughout his teenage years. Fans watched as Norman’s dangerous transformation came full circle when he methodically murdered his beloved mother, Norma, in the final gut-wrenching episodes of season four. Season five of “Bates Motel” picks up almost two years later and finds Norman (Freddie Highmore), a grown man now, living a double life. Publicly he’s a happy and well-adjusted member of the White Pine Bay community, but at home Norman struggles; his violent blackouts continue to increase as ‘Mother’ (Vera Farmiga) threatens to take over his mind completely. Meanwhile, Dylan Massett (Max Thierot) and Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke), since leaving White Pine Bay, have been living their lives blissfully unaware of Norma’s death and Norman’s full on descent into psychosis. Unfortunately, for them, they will soon find themselves drawn back into Norman’s insanity, while a vengeful Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell), who is currently incarcerated for a perjury, hungers for a chance to destroy his stepson and avenge the murder of his one true love, Norma Bates.

New faces find their way to the Bates Motel this season to further complicate Norman’s life and threaten to unearth his dark secrets. Viewers will finally meet the iconic Marion Crane played by Rihanna. In addition, a new couple in town, Madeleine Loomis, played by Isabelle McNally (“House of Cards”) and her husband Sam Loomis, played by Austin Nichols (“The Walking Dead,” “Ray Donovan”), as well as Sheriff Dana Greene, played by Brooke Smith (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ray Donovan”) become entangled in Norman’s life causing a chain of events that could blow the lid off Norman’s secret life. Lastly, fans will be greeted by familiar faces when Caleb Calhoun (Kenny Johnson) and Chick Hogan (Ryan Hurst) return with agendas of their own.

“Bates Motel” is produced by Universal Television for A&E Network. Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers for Cuse Productions and Kerry Ehrin Productions. Tucker Gates, Vera Farmiga and Tom Szentgyorgyi also serve as executive producers on the series.

Images courtesy of Cate Cameron / A&E Networks:

Source: A&E Network via EW
  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.