When Christopher Walken almost played Norman Bates
Even though he’s spent most of his career playing off-kilter characters with a sinister disposition, it’s impossible to imagine Christopher Walken playing Norman Bates. And yet, it almost happened in what would have instantly gone down as one of Hollywood’s most unusual recastings.
In reality, there was no need for Psycho to become a franchise. Alfred Hitchcock’s original changed cinema forever, becoming one of the most iconic movies by a filmmaker who specialised in them and shocking audiences with its mid-film twist that bumped off its supposed leading lady halfway through.
It also turned a massive profit at the box office, which always piques a studio’s interest. Author Robert Block’s 1959 novel was adapted for the screen the following year, so when he penned a follow-up book in 1982, history repeated itself when Universal snapped up the rights and placed Psycho II into development.
Even though it had been more than two decades since the original and the law of diminishing returns was almost guaranteed to set in, Anthony Perkins was approached to reprise his signature role. However, a roadblock quickly arose when he said he didn’t want to do it, which sent the producers scrambling to not only find a suitable replacement but also crack a screenplay that differed from the source material.
“He killed off Norman at the end of the first chapter,” writer Tom Holland recalled. “There was no way on god’s green earth that anybody was going to make that.” Understandably, the narrative was rejigged so that Bates wouldn’t get bumped off at the very beginning, but luring Perkins back into the fold remained the biggest challenge.
Remarkably, Walken was at the top of the wish list, as bizarre as it sounds. Sure, he was an Academy Award-winning actor who specialised in borderline psychotics, but he was too recognisable, and Bates was so intrinsically associated with Perkins that it would have shattered the suspension of disbelief and been too jarring for audiences to accept.
“You felt sorry for a mad serial murderer!” Holland explained his approach to the script. “Norman Bates comes out of the institution; he’s sane. He’s desperately trying to hold onto his sanity. Then everything starts to go wrong; he’s trying to stay sane. And then, at the end, you find out what it all was about. At the very end of the movie, Norman Bates is totally mad again.”
Armed with a new script, Perkins read it and changed his mind. Suddenly, there was no need to recast Bates, and Walken’s name was out of the picture before he even had the chance to agree or decline. Psycho II wasn’t a patch on its illustrious predecessor, although Quentin Tarantino might disagree, but what can’t be argued is that it’s a damn sight better than the rest of them.
