A cult worthy of the name is recognized by the extent to which cinephiles continue to take it as a point of reference, generating a constructive debate around it. Among the many examples, “American Psycho” by Mary Harron certainly occupies a special place, also in relation to the successful career that, after its release, saw Hollywood star Christian Bale as the protagonist. Based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, the film continues to reflect, with disturbing verisimilitude, the society in which we live, through the archetype of the modern man who, absorbed by the cult of money and by a blind and ruthless ambition, ends up doing extreme things in order to pursue his goals.
And while the original work - as mentioned - holds a place of honor in the history of cinema, the news that "American Psycho" will have a remake directed by Luca Guadagnino, with Scott Z. Burns on the screenplay, dates back to last fall . According to what has emerged, the filmmaker would be aiming for a new adaptation of the paper work rather than a revisitation of Harron's film.
During Lionsgate’s CinemaCon presentation last month, Guadagnino said, “We’re working really hard to bring to the screen a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, a book that I deeply love and that has influenced me a lot.” He added that Burns’ script is “coming together really well,” and that he’s “in conversation with some really interesting actors for the lead roles.”
Speaking of the casting, there were recent rumors that Austin Butler was considered for the role of Patrick Bateman. However, casting director Kerry Barden has suggested otherwise: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Butler was deemed too attractive for the character and was instead better suited to play Paul Allen, who was originally played by Jared Leto. Here are her words: “I would have cast Austin as Jared because he’s really good-looking, and that’s why we cast Jared, because he’s really good-looking. Jared is certainly a great actor and obviously Austin has great depth, but not everyone has that kind of beauty.”
Patrick Schwarzenegger has also emerged as a possible name for the protagonist, currently riding high after the success of the third season of “The White Lotus”, and a big fan of the 2000 film. Responding to a fan's comment on his X profile, who considered him particularly suited to the role of Bateman, the actor responded with a clear and simple: “I wouldn't want anything else”. Last October, moreover, Schwarzenegger had publicly declared that playing Bateman would be a dream for him: it is therefore not to be excluded that that comment was a self-candidacy rather than a simple message destined to disappear.
Chloë Sevigny, who played Jean, Patrick's secretary, in the first film, also showed interest in the project. Interviewed by IndieWire, the actress admitted that she asked Guadagnino directly if she could be part of the cast: "When I heard that Luca Guadagnino was perhaps working on a new version of American Psycho, I wasn't sure it was 100% confirmed, I thought he was shooting a film about the Second World War, I proposed to him to reprise the role of Jean, perhaps with a digital rejuvenation. I thought it could be something of interest to him, an intriguing concept: the same actress in the same role, years later. But he replied that maybe he will think of another part for me".
Who knows, then, if and in what guise we will see her again in the new adaptation, and which other faces - known or unknown - will join her during the filming. We just have to wait for the next developments to find out.
