A&E has unleashed the first photo from its upcoming series "Bates Motel". The image gives a first look at Freddie Highmore as teenage Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother, Norma. They sit on a field with the infamous motel in the distance.
A prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film "Psycho", "Bates Motel" will explore "the formative years of Norman Bates' relationship with his mother, Norma, and the world they inhabit." Through the show, "viewers will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn first-hand how Norman helped forge the most famous serial killer of them all."
To Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunner Carlton Cuse says that the show will not only focus on what happens in the motel, but also the town. "The town itself is very much a character in the show," he teases. "There are a lot of secrets that lurk beneath this bucolic veneer."
In addition to Highmore and Farmiga, the thriller series has cast Max Thieriot as Norman's older brother, Dylan, who is described as a petulant and rebellious James Dean-type. The show, which is executive produced by Cuse and co-showrunner Kerry Ehrin, is slated for a spring 2013 premiere.
