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Way, way back in January, I delivered to y’all the intriguing news that A&E was in the process of developing an original series based on Psycho – specifically, a prequel detailing the origins of Norman Bates and his craycray relationship with his mother (may she rest in peace… or not).

 

After that initial announcement, nothing more was heard about it. Luckily, I had news and tidbits about the biopic Hitchcock to sate my Psycho thirst in the meantime. But once that film wrapped (after only 36 days!), I began to wonder… what ever happened with that A&E series?

 

Well, the TV gods must have heard me, because, finally, we have some new developments concerning this series, entitled “Bates Motel” – specifically that “Lost” writer Carlton Cuse has been brought on board to executive produce, along with Kerry Ehrin (of “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood”). These are no slouches, my friends, with a combined list of credits that would make any TV buff sit up and take notice. In particular, I am psyched to hear of Cuse’s involvement, since, obviously, “Lost” is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I am quite keen to see how he tackles the backstory of Norman Bates!

 

The Hollywood Reporter has described the show as a cross between “Twin Peaks” and “Smallville”, which has a lot of people scratching their heads. But I can see where they’re going with that analogy – a macabre and mysterious origin story of a well-known pop culture character. I got your back, THR! All this aside, however, there are still plenty of questions that remain to be answered, like: Will this take place during the same time period as the original story (1940s-50s)? Will they follow the canon of the Hitchcock movie or of the original novel on which it was based by Robert Bloch? Will they shoot the series on the Universal Studios backlot where the Bates Motel and House still stand? And who in the world will play Norman Bates??

 

Stay tuned!

 

 

- Katie Marzullo, YH Staff Editor

katie@younghollywood.com