Watch Rihanna surprise Comic-Con

All hail Rihanna, queen of SDCC 2016 and new “Bates Motel” cast member.

In a development that no one could have predicted, Rihanna appears to be the reigning queen of Comic-Con without ever setting foot in San Diego.

The massively popular recording artist all but secured the imaginary title with Friday afternoon’s announcement that not only would the singer be appearing on A&E’s “Bates Motel,” but she’d be playing Marion Crane, the legendary role originally played by Janet Leigh in “Psycho.”

COMPLETE COMIC-CON COVERAGE

At the “Bates Motel” panel, producer Carlton Cuse explained that this casting was five years in the making, and it was the plan to have Rihanna all along. He assured the crowd that even though last season saw the death of Vera Farmiga’s Norma, she will not be gone as she will be a full-time cast member.

Here’s the very video “Bates Motel” dropped on the unsuspecting crop of attendees.

BATES MOTEL Rihanna Video

This was the third time Rihanna was prominently featured in a Comic-Con narrative this year. Her song “Sledgehammer,” a collaboration with Sia, plays over the closing credits of “Star Trek Beyond,” which kicked off Comic-Con festivities with an outdoor screening Wednesday night.

View the photo gallery: 7/20/16 Star Trek Premiere

Rihanna will also play a guest role in Luc Besson’s much-anticipated “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” to be released in 2017.

All in all, pretty impressive for someone who didn’t even have to stare down a crowd in Hall H.

Libby Hill is a reporter for the the Los Angeles Times

Source: DiscoverSD