A&E orders 'Bates Motel' series

NEW YORK, July 2 (UPI) -- A&E Network says it has ordered a series called "Bates Motel," based on the 1960 Hollywood film classic "Psycho."

Bob DeBitetto, president and general manager of A&E Network and BIO Channel, and the network's executive vice president of programming, David McKillop, announced Monday it had ordered the 10-episode first season of "Bates Motel" from Universal Television.

Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin are serving as executive producers. Preproduction and casting are to begin immediately.

"We are proud to be partnering with Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin on their thrilling reinvention of one of the most compelling characters in cinematic history," DeBitetto and McKillop said in a statement. "It's a provocative project from two of the best storytellers in the business and we're looking forward to getting started."

Cuse was a producer of the TV series "Lost" and "Nash Bridges." Ehrin's producing credits include the TV series "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights."

"Bates Motel" is inspired by Robert Bloch's 1959 novel and Alfred Hitchcock's genre-defining film, "Psycho," starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Janet Leigh.

The TV show is described as "a contemporary exploration of the formative years of Norman Bates' relationship with his mother, Norma, and the world they inhabit," a synopsis said.

It is to premiere on the network in 2013.