Psycho Prequel Series Will Air On A&E

[Mitch Henessey]

From Variety:

A&E is developing a series dubbed "Bates Motel," a prequel to the classic Alfred Hitchcock pic "Psycho."

In addition, the cabler is working on a drama thriller "Those Who Kill," from Imagine TV and Fox 21. Pilot is about the hunt for a serial killer by a police detective and a forensic psychiatrist who tries to understand the motives of the murderer. Project is a Danish format based on the work of author Elsebeth Egholm.

Glen Morgan ("The X-Files") will write the pilot script for "Kill." Morgan, Imagine's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are exec producers, along with Peter Bose and Jonas Allen.

AMC most recently took a Danish format when it created "The Killing," about the search for the killer of a high school student.

"Bates Motel," produced by Universal Television, will be written by Anthony Cipriano. Project is intended to give viewers an understanding how Norman Bates' psyche developed from childhood through his teen years.

Cabler also announced that production will begin in March on rookie western series "Longmire," with summer as a targeted air date. Series is from Warner Horizon.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118048619

Hmmm, I'm not really really sure how I should feel about this as of right now. On one hand, learning the origins of the famous and demented Norman Bates character does sound intriguing. Audiences will get to see the early stages of Norman's troubled life, and we will see what lead him to become a sick and twisted killer. Also, they should provide a more in-depth explanation of Norman's obsession with "Mother."

On the other the hand, there's a chance this show could become a tremendous flop. Psycho is a Hitchcock classic, so this show could draw some interest. But are so many people really going to be THAT excited to learn about the origins of Norman Bates? Psycho is a great horror film. There's no denying that. But let's be honest, there are lot of people out there, who only recognize the infamous shower scene, when they think about this film. Of course, this film offers so much more, but could a series based on this film really draw good ratings? I'm sure a good amount of people will tune in for the series premiere, because some people will want to give this a try. Although, this series might not be able to hold a good amount of viewers on a consistent basis, because true die hard Psycho fans are the only ones, who will have some real interest in Norman Bates' backstory.

Also, for those of you who don't know, Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) already went down the "explaining the origins of Norman Bates" route. Personally, I thought this film was a piece of shit, and I can't understand why so many Psycho fans enjoy this one. Yeah, I get it. They explained his backstory, and that was the purpose of this film, but The Beginning was still a dull and lifeless film.

I will probably give the premiere a chance, because I am interested in this. This prequel series could be worth looking forward to, but I'm skeptical about the ties to A&E here. I really don't want to trust them, when it comes to anything horror related, because Stephen King's Bag Of Bones was just dreadful in every way, but the Psycho prequel series could help them bounce back in this department.

Anyone else interested in this?