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Comic-Con 2016 Spoilers: Carlton Cuse Says Norma Hasn’t Checked Out Of ‘Bates Motel,’ Denies Vera Farmiga Is Joining ‘American Horror Story’

By Chrissie Williams
Published on: 10:44 PST, Jul 22, 2016

Bates Motel showrunner Carlton Cuse is one busy man lately. He has three hit TV shows that he is in charge of — Bates Motel, The Strain, and Colony. If that’s not busy enough, he is developing a show slated to a 2017 debut based on the Jack Ryan novel by Tom Clancy.

Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) has not checked out of Bates Motel, Entertainment Weekly (EW) reports. Season 4 ended with Norma’s death, but the showrunner says the matriarch is not off the show. She will live in Norman’s mind. Carlton confirmed that Farmiga would return for Season 5 as a series regular.

“There’s all these rumors she’s going to go on American Horror Story— no, she still exists in Norman’s imagination. He will become an increasingly unreliable narrator and through his point of view, we’re going to see a lot of her. She’s very much a character.”

Carlton added that he has no knowledge that Vera has entertained any offer to join the cast of American Horror Story. He explained that it was a rumor he’s heard for a few weeks now, and when he spoke to Farmiga, she wasn’t sure how it started. Vera added that she was happy to continue her work on Bates Motel, and hopes to deliver an emotional final ten episodes for the fans.

The cast of Bates Motel— Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Nestor Carbonell, and Max Thieriot will take the stage Friday afternoon to answer fans and media questions about the upcoming (and final) season of the A&E show. Bates Motel showrunners Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse will also take the stage to explain the major plot points they envision for Season 5, TV Guide reports.

Cuse talked about The Strain’s Season 3 premiere, which airs on August 28 on FX. Carlton added that the new season would leave the fans wanting more, and leave them on the edge of their seat.

“We live in this weird world now because you can watch all the episodes of shows, people feel compelled that they must watch all the episodes of a show. I think we are habituated now to feel like we have to dutifully watch everything like homework, but I’d be happy if people jumped in at the beginning of season 3 of The Strain. I think you would able to get everything that was going on and enjoy it.”

Carlton joked that he was worried how people would perceive Colony following the election in November. He added that the USA show is about an alien occupation and is (very) loosely based on World War II. Cuse has not disclosed a return date for Season 2 of Colony, the Hollywood Reporter explained.

“After Donald Trump bans television, it will be interesting to see what people will do. It will have a lot of resonance [if Trump wins]. The good thing is I shoot two shows in Canada, so I’ll spend a lot of time there.”

It looks like there’s interesting stuff headed for Bates Motel, The Strain, and Colony over the next few months. Cuse confirmed that Vera Farmiga wouldn’t be joining the cast of American Horror Story like reported earlier in the week. She will still be a series regular on the show, even though Norma Bates died during Season 4’s intense finale. Cuse explained that during Season 5, the Bates Motel fans would witness Norman descend into total madness, and become the Norman Bates everyone knows (and loves) in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Do you think Sheriff Romero can stop Norman from killing again on Bates Motel? Will the election affect the fan base on Colony? Stick with the Inquisitr for more Comic-Con 2016 spoilers, news, and casting updates.

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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