‘Bates Motel’ Season 5 Spoilers: ‘The Walking Dead’ Alum Austin Nichols Cast As Rihanna’s Onscreen Lover

Austin Nichols is coming to White Pine Bay.

Nichols, who most recently portrayed Spencer Monroe on AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” will recur as Sam Loomis in the fifth and final season of A&E’s “Bates Motel.” According to Deadline, Sam is a mysterious and charismatic newcomer to White Pine Bay who quickly antagonizes Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) when he attempts to involve the orphan in his web of lies.

Sam is a character that appeared in the 1960 film “Psycho,” which serves as one of the inspirations for the TV series. In the Alfred Hitchcock-directed movie, Sam is in a relationship with Marion Crane, who will be played by Rihanna on the TV series.

In the film, Marion is unhappy in her relationship with Sam. When her boss asks her to deposit a huge sum of money in the bank, Marion steals the money and flees the town. She ends up at the Bates Motel, where she meets the motel manager, Norman Bates. Shortly after learning that Marion ran off with the money, Sam and Marion’s sister, Lila (Vera Miles), go searching for her.

While Sam has nothing to do with Marion stealing the money in the original flick, TVLine teased last August that A&E’s version of the character is “the sorta sexy devil for whom a woman might consider embezzling a small fortune.”

Nichols confirmed his casting on Instagram. The 36-year-old actor shared a photo of a key to a room at Bates Motel with the caption: “Coming Soon…”

Prior to appearing on “The Walking Dead,” Nichols starred on WB/CW’s “One Tree Hill," HBO’s “John from Cincinnati” and had a recurring role on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” He also had a guest-starring stint on FOX’s “The Mob Doctor,” NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” and HBO’s “Deadwood,” among many others.

“Bates Motel” Season 5 premieres on Monday, Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. EST on A&E.