'Bates Motel' season 5 news: A&E drama gets official release date; first look at Rihanna's Marion Crane revealed

The farewell season of "Bates Motel" is launching sooner than expected.

According to reports, the fifth season of the "Psycho" prequel is scheduled to premiere on Monday, Feb. 20, at 10 p.m. EST. The past seasons of "Bates Motel" were all released in March, making the recently-announced season 5 debut sooner than what fans would expect.

Season 4 left off with the shocking death of female lead Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga). Given Norman's (Freddie Highmore) close relationship with his mother, Norma is still expected to appear in the series as she continues to exist in her son's mind. In an interview, Highmore revealed that the next season will be a lot different because viewers will see another side of Norman.

"It definitely feels fresh and new," the actor teased. "[It will be] reestablishing new rules and lots of that is going to take place in Norman's mind because [Norma] is actually dead, but to him she's not. So how that manifests itself throughout the whole season is incredibly exciting," he added.

Aside from Norma's return, fans are also looking forward to the introduction of Marion Crane, an iconic character from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960s cult-classic. Marion was originally portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis' mother Janet Leigh, but now, Rihanna is set to breathe new life into the character.

The R&B singer was recently spotted filming for "Bates Motel," and she appears to be wearing a similar outfit to Leigh's character in "Psycho." While fans have to wait for an official photo, Rihanna was seen on set with red hair and a pale blue suit. Though there's nothing special about the shots, it gives fans a first glimpse at Rihanna's Marion Crane.

During last year's Comic-Con, executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin explained why they chose the Barbadian beauty to play one of the show's biggest roles According to the duo, they wanted to put the character under a "contemporary spotlight" and redefine it in a 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 EPs added.