American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron and starring Christian Bale, has become a seminal cult classic horror film. The 2000 movie is based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel about ’80s yuppie excess, taken to its darkest conclusion. Now, according to a report in Variety, American Psycho is getting a remake from Lionsgate, from Italian director Luca Guadagnino. Guadagnino directed recent critically acclaimed films like Challengers and Queer. He’s also no stranger to remaking a horror classic, as he remade Suspiria in 2018. And, according to Variety, Austin Butler will take on the lead role as Patrick Bateman.
According to the original report, screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) is writing the script. It will apparently not be a strict remake of the 2000 film, but a new adaptation of Ellis’ novel. The book centers on Patrick Bateman, a successful young Wall Street type, who has a secret identity as a brutal serial killer. The book was extremely controversial when it came out back in 1991, mainly for its depictions of grisly violence against women. In fact, several different countries banned it, or at least severely restricted access to it. Of course, all of that just helped to make the book a massive bestseller and cultural talking point.
The original American Psycho film adaptation also helped turn Christian Bale into a bonafide grown-up movie star. After American Psycho, he was no longer just “the kid from Newsies and Empire of the Sun.” Many people think his unhinged performance as Bateman is what convinced Christopher Nolan to cast him in Batman Begins. We’re sure the casting for the new Patrick Bateman will be heavily scrutinized. After all, the right actor playing this character could catapult someone’s career into the stratosphere, just like it did for Bale. We should note, there actually was an off-Broadway American Psycho musical once. If Guadagnino went in that direction, we’d honestly respect that choice.
Originally published on October 18, 2024.
