'Bates Motel' season 5 news 2016: Lead star Freddie Highmore writes for series, central characters set to return

"Bates Motel" wrapped up its fourth season with the death of Norman's beloved mother Norma, but the fan-favorite character will surely be back for season 5 as she appears in her son's mind.

Aside from the upcoming season marking the show's farewell, season 5 was made extra special as lead star Freddie Highmore also wrote parts of the storyline. In an interview with Deadline, showrunner Carlton Cuse shared how surprised he was to chance upon an actor who offered to pen for the series. "Freddie's a renaissance man, and I like to joke with him that I think he's secretly in MI6, because he speaks fluent Spanish and fluent Arabic, and went to Cambridge. He probably really is a spy, but he's so savvy that there's no way to actually confirm that," he quipped.

In terms of why he decided to write for his own show, Highmore explained that his interest in storytelling goes beyond his study of language and literature. "I think it was born naturally out of working on a television show, because there was something odd to me about leaving the show behind in between seasons, after putting so much into it on set for four, five months," the young actor explained.

The cast and crew are currently filming for season 5, but when pressed for details about the new plot, co-showrunner Kerry Ehrin does not want to give too much away. "We have guideposts and we know the destination," said Ehrin. "How exactly we're going to get there... that's kind of the fun of writing it, and that's what we'll be doing when we get back in the writer's room." One thing Ehrin confirmed was that central characters, particularly in Norma's life, are set to come back.

The network has yet to announce a premiere date for "Bates Motel" season 5, but the series will likely return sometime in 2017.