The kid from August Rush is all grown up. And now, he’s going Psycho. According to DEADLINE…

Freddie Highmore, who played the title role opposite Johnny Depp in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, is taking on a far more menacing character next. The young British actor has been cast to play Norman Bates opposite Vera Farmiga in in A&E’s upcoming series Bates Motel, which serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock horror classic Psycho. The series examines the twisted relationship between serial-killer-to-be Bates and his mother Norma (Varmiga). This marks the U.S. series debut for Highmore, who also toplined the feature The Spiderwick Chronicles.