After hearing about AMC’s Goodfellas TV series earlier this week, we can now report that another classic film will soon be receiving the television treatment: none other than Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. This time around it’s A&E that will develop the new show, titled Bates Motel, which will act as a prequel to the Hitchcock film. It will chronicle the development of Norman Bates’ psyche and how the treatment he received from his mother and her lover warped him into a killer. Anthony Cipriano (12 and Holding) penned the script, but, as of yet, no director or actors have been signed. While A&E is known mainly for unscripted material like Intervention and Hoarders, Bates Motel would represent the network’s growing attempts at scripted shows like The Glades and Breakout Kings.

While the idea of exploring Norman Bates’ past may sound like an interesting idea on paper, I’ve found that it’s usually better to leave some level of mystery to a character that famous. As an obvious example, just think of the Star Wars prequels and their telling of Darth Vader’s past. Putting that idea aside, a Norman Bates-centered show could still have some potential, perhaps in the same vein as Dexter. We all know that messing with an iconic horror property like this can make fans pretty touchy (just ask Gus Van Sant after his remake), so the material will need to be handled just right for any type of success. Are you looking forward to a trip to Bates Motel? Who would you like to see play a young Norman Bates?