A&E made a big announcement at Comic-Con today, revealing that Rihanna will play Marion Crane—the role famously played by Janet Leight in Psycho—in the fifth and final season of Bates Motel:

Press Release: Rihanna has been tapped to play the iconic role of Marion Crane, formerly played by Janet Leigh, in the fifth and final season of A&E’s hit drama series “Bates Motel.” The highly anticipated casting announcement was made today during the season five panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Creators and executive producers Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse were on hand with cast Vera Farmiga (“Norma”), Freddie Highmore (“Norman”), Max Thieriot (“Dylan Massett”) and Nestor Carbonell (“Sheriff Alex Romero”) to celebrate the casting, the series and speak to the final season.

"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," said executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin.

Additional announcements included: Vera Farmiga to executive produce and return in her Emmy-nominated role as “Norma” after her epic death in the final episodes of season four. Max Thieriot will make his directorial debut and Nestor Carbonell will direct for a third time. Finally, Freddie Highmore will write his second episode alongside executive producers Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse. “Bates Motel” will begin production this fall in Vancouver and will return for an exciting final season in 2017 on A&E.

This contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho gives viewers an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates’ psyche unravels through his teenage years. “Bates Motel” gives fans access to the dark, twisted backstory of Norman Bates and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma, truly is.

  • 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.