Now here’s something for you to talk about, or maybe just ponder as you look around your Thanksgiving table: the first photo of Norman and Norma Bates from Carlton Cuse‘s Bates Motel series, set to premiere in 2013 on A&E. Gee, they don’t look that creepy. Yet. The house, on the other hand… definitely creepy.
That’s Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) playing Norman, and Vera Farmiga (Source Code) as his mum.
Psycho is apparently becoming quite the popular kid on the block, with this Friday’s premiere of Hitchcock, the story of the making of Psycho, starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, and Bates Motel set as a prequel to Psycho. Given who’s involved in each production, we really can’t wait to see them both.
Here’s a reminder about the premise of Bates Motel:
A&E NETWORK ORDERS “BATES MOTEL” TO SERIES
NETWORK BYPASSES PILOT PROCESS TO ORDER 10 EPISODES
PRESENT DAY SERIES INSPIRED BY HITCHCOCK’S “PSYCHO” WILL EXPLORE THE FORMATION OF THE ICONIC CHARATERS OF NORMAN AND NORMA BATES AND THE WORLD THEY INHABIT
New York, NY – July 2, 2012 – A&E Network is going directly to series on Bates Motel from Universal Television with Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights and Parenthood) serving as executive producers, it was announced today jointly by Bob DeBitetto, President and General Manager, A&E Network and BIO Channel and the network’s Executive Vice President of Programming, David McKillop. The network is moving straight to series, bypassing a pilot, with a 10-episode order. Pre-production and casting will begin immediately.
“We are proud to be partnering with Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin on their thrilling reinvention of one of the most compelling characters in cinematic history,” said DeBitetto and McKillop. “It’s a provocative project from two of the best storytellers in the business and we’re looking forward to getting started.”
Bates Motel, inspired by Hitchcock’s genre-defining film, Psycho, is a contemporary exploration of the formative years of Norman Bates, relationship with his mother, Norma, and the world they inhabit. Viewers will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn first-hand how Norma helped forge the most famous serial killer of them all. Bates Motel will premiere on A&E in 2013.
Bates Motel is produced by Universal Television and Carlton Cuse Productions forA&E Network. Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin serve as executive producers.
About A&E Network
A&E is “Real Life. Drama.” Now reaching more than 99 million homes, A&E is television that you can’t turn away from; where unscripted shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment ranging from the network’s original scripted series, including The Glades and Longmire, to signature non-fiction franchises, including the Emmywinning Intervention, Duck Dynasty, Hoarders, Beyond Scared Straight and Storage Wars, and the most successful justice shows on cable, including The First 48. The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com.
Bates Motel, starring Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, and Max Thieriot, is expected to premiere in 2013 on A&E.
