Christopher Walken Was The Second Choice For Psycho 2's Norman Bates
Anthony Perkins eventually returned to reprise his leading role in Psycho 2, but earlier on, Christopher Walken came close to being cast. Perkins began his career playing more traditional characters, even earning an early Oscar nomination for 1956's Friendly Persuasion. Taking the Norman Bates role set Perkins on a different path, whether he wanted it to or not. Psycho became one of Alfred Hitchcock's most iconic movies ever, and Perkins became typecast as a villain thanks to his portrayal of the outwardly mild-mannered but deeply psychotic Norman.
While Perkins went on to have a respectable career, and his work as Norman remains excellent, one wonders what would've been for him had he not starred in Hitchcock's legendary thriller. At a certain point, Perkins leaned into his signature role, returning as Norman in Psycho 2, Psycho 3, and Psycho 4, all of which released decades after the original, and focused on a Norman who seemed to have beaten his demons, only to eventually be overtaken by them again. Perkins gave more great performances, even if the films surrounding him weren't as good.
While Psycho 2 is now considered an upper-tier horror sequel by many, one that wasn't fully appreciated in its time, what some may not know is that the project's genesis came as a made-for-cable movie. The idea of making a sequel to Hitchcock's classic wasn't necessarily seen as a guaranteed success, so theaters weren't initially figured into the plans for it. Despite going to TV, Universal still wanted Anthony Perkins back as Norman Bates if at all possible, but wasn't sure he'd say yes. Sure enough, Perkins initially turned down their offer. That's where the idea of casting Christopher Walken as Norman came in. When Perkins passed, Universal began considering other actors for the lead of Psycho 2, and Walken was their leading contender.
It's unknown whether Universal ever formally offered Walken the role, as Perkins eventually changed his mind after being impressed with future Child's Play director Tom Holland's script. In an amusing circumstance, Perkins reprising Norman actually caused some buzz to build around Psycho 2, leading Universal to release it in theaters after all. Psycho 2 went on to earn positive reviews and make $35 million on a $5 million budget, effectively reviving the franchise.
Meanwhile, Christopher Walken had become known by the 1980s as an actor adept at playing quirky or mentally unstable characters, such as in The Happiness Cage or The Deer Hunter. In 1983, the same year Psycho 2 released, Walken starred in Stephen King's psychic thriller The Dead Zone, and played murderous Bond villain Max Zorin in 1985's A View to a Kill.
While it's hard to imagine anyone but Perkins playing Norman Bates on the big screen, it would have been interesting to see what Christopher Walken's performance as Norman in Psycho 2 might've been like. As talented as he is, however, he may have been wrong for the role. Walken is a great, menacing villain, but the thing about Norman is that he seems friendly and normal on the surface, with madness waiting to burst out from underneath. Walken has a famously odd way about him as an actor, and may well have come off as strange even when Norman was trying to appear normal.