Rihanna to play Marion Crane on the final season of Bates Motel

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Bates Motel will be entering full-on PSYCHO territory in its fifth and final season, and that means – as we first heard back in May – that Norman Bates' victim from that unforgettable shower scene, Marion Crane, will be entering the picture.

During the Bates Motel panel at the San Diego Comic-Con today, the name of the actress who will be playing Marion was revealed, and she only goes by one name: Filling the role previously played by Janet Leigh in the classic PSYCHO and by Anne Heche in its much-maligned remake will be mononymous pop star / BATTLESHIP star Rihanna.

Bates executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin had this to say about Rihanna's casting: "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."

Rihanna joins a cast that includes Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates, Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma, Max Thieriot as his brother Dylan, and Nestor Carbonell as Sheriff Alex Romero.

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.