Rihanna to Play Infamous Psycho’ Role

The producers of Bates Motel announced at Comic-Con Friday that Rihanna would play the role of Marion Crane made famous by actress Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho  on the upcoming fifth and final season of the A&E drama.

“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,” executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin said in a statement.

Rihanna herself also shared the news with her own DIY announcement that she sent to Comic-Con. “Let me tell you what the bad bitch is about to do: I’m about to check into the Bates Motel very soon, and guess what else? Guess who’s playing Marion,” the singer said before making a face that hints at the character’s fate, the “shower scene” that remains one of the greatest, most frightening deaths in cinema history.

Producers approached Rihanna about the role after reading a Vanity Fair cover story where she revealed that she was a Bates Motel fan. The show’s Twitter sent Rihanna some love back her way, and eventually producers came to Rihanna’s rep with the offer to play Marion Crane in the reboot. Bates Motel’s fifth season is scheduled to air in 2017.

In addition to releasing her Anti LP earlier in January, Rihanna has also branched out more aggressively toward Hollywood in 2016, with the singer aligning with Star Trek Beyond for the soundtrack cut “Sledgehammer” and lining up a role in Luc Besson’s upcoming space epic Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.