'Bates Motel' unveils first look photo

The Alfred Hitchcock revival continues! While Anthony Hopkins portrays the iconic director on the big screen and HBO tackles his obsession with "The Birds" leading lady Tippi Hedren, A & E and Carlton Cuse have been shaping up a prequel to the Hitchcock classic "Psycho."

The prequel "Bates Motel", from the former "Lost" showrunner and Kerry Ehrin ("Friday Night Lights), was picked up direct to series by the cable network. Today they have unveiled the first sneak peek image of the new series, depicting a tranquil day at the Bates homestead. Freddie Highmore of "The Art of Getting By" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" portrays young serial-killer-to-be Norman while Vera Farmiga takes on the role of his overbearing mother. The series will pick up with the pair moving into the characteristic dilapidated house seen behind them after the death of Norman's father.

Don't expect the series to stick to the Bates Motel and its surrounding properties, however, as the scope of the series is far broader. "The town itself is very much a character in the show," Cuse says. "There are a lot of secrets that lurk beneath this bucolic veneer."

Look for "Bates Motel" to take a stab at the competition in the spring of 2013. While I was delighted to learn that the fantastic Farmiga was cast as Norma, Highmore seems a little too babyfaced to play the part of a future psychopath.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming series?