‘Bates Motel’ Season 5 Updates: Rihanna Spotted on Vancouver Filming Set, Set to Play Janet Leigh’s Iconic Character Marion Crane

‘Bates Motel’ season 5 is set to feature Rihanna as Marion Crane. The popular singer-songwriter was spotted filming scenes with co-star Nestor Carbonell on the Vancouver filming set. Her character was most famously portrayed by Janet Leigh in the 1960 film ‘Psycho.’

According to the Daily Mail, the pop superstar was spotted on the Vancouver filming set of the American horror television series. She was cast to take on the iconic character Marion Crane, one of Norman Bates’ most memorable victims. The Barbadian singer-songwriter was seen doing her first scenes with Nestor Carbonell, who plays Sheriff Alex Romero in the series.

Executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin commented on Rihanna’s casting as Marion during a previous interview. They said, “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.” 

The photographs posted on the Vancouver Sun showed Rihanna with cropped red hair and wearing a formal grey suit as she filmed the scenes. The 28-year old popstar will also be making an appearance as a galactic stripper in the upcoming science-fiction and action film ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ directed by Luc Besson.

She already appeared in several big screen and small screen projects including 2013’s ‘This Is The End’, 2014’s ‘Annie’, and 2015’s ‘Home.’ She is also set to star in the female-dominated spin-off ‘Ocean’s Eight’ alongside Hollywood heavyweights Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Cate Blanchett. The film is scheduled to be released on June 2018.

Rihanna’s character Marion was first portrayed by Janet Leigh in the 1960 film ‘Psycho’ adapted from the 1959 novel of the same name authored by Robert Bloch. Marion is otherwise known as “the girl in the shower”, a reference to the way the character met her grisly fate.

In the original film, Marion was attacked while taking a shower. In the scene, a shadowy figure is seen entering the bathroom and eventually stabs Marion to death.

‘Bates Motel’ season 5 is expected to return on A&E on March 2017. It will be the television series’ final season and is set to feature the return of Freddie Highmore as the lead character Norman Bates.