American Psycho Remake In The Works From Award-Winning Director
Few movies have been as influential and enduring as American Psycho, the 2000 horror that satirized the greed and excess of the 80s, but after the poorly received sequel starring Mila Kunis, no one has dared make another attempt at the world of Patrick Bateman for decades. Lionsgate, in the middle of one of the worst years for a studio in modern history, had been rumored to be working on an American Psycho remake for a while, and now, it’s been confirmed. Deadline reports that the studio has tapped Challengers director Luca Gaudagnino to helm the reimagined film.
Reimagining The Novel
Technically, Lionsgate’s American Psycho remake is being reported as a reinterpretation of the novel by Bret Easton Ellis and not an actual remake. Originally released in 1991, the novel was so controversial that it wasn’t available in hardback until 2012 and was found in the homes of multiple serial killers. The film became a lightning rod for criticism as well, with some deriding it for glamorizing Patrick Bateman, similar to how its contemporary, Fight Club, has been misunderstood.
The Director Of Challengers Is A Great Choice
Though it’s natural to have reservations about an American Psycho remake, Luca Gaudagnino is an inspired choice to tackle the monumental task. This year, he brought the Zendaya-led Challengers to theaters, but the Italian director also helmed the 2018 Suspiria and the off-beat Timothee Chalamet cannibal romance film Bones and All. It’s the latter that makes him one of the best choices to bring the offbeat, satirical world of Patrick Bateman to life.
Potential Bateman
While Luca Gaudagnino is a great choice as director, he’s going to be fighting an uphill battle. The American Psycho remake has to live up to Christian Bale’s historic performance as Patrick Bateman. The quest to find a leading man who can pull off being deadly serious about business cards while butchering a victim to Huey Lewis and the News will not be easy, though Guadagnino has worked with Timothee Chalamet twice in the past, which means the odds of the Dune star as Bateman has to be greater than zero.
Expect More Violence
If the American Psycho remake is going to be a more accurate interpretation of the novel, though, it’s going to lean more into the horror and sadism of Patrick Bateman than the offbeat humor of the 2000 film. Bale’s Bateman left out cannibalism, a subject Gaudagnino is used to but is part of Ellis’s novel, including a moment of brain-eating that could outdo the infamous ending of Hannibal. The movie’s Director, Mary Harron, decided to lean into adapting the satirization of the novel through absurdist humor and paper-thin characters instead of the novel’s over-the-top violence.
Lionsgate Needs A Hit
There’s no release date yet for the American Psycho remake. Lionsgate, which released a string of massive flops this year in theaters, including Borderlands, The Crow, and Megalopolis, needs a win. Bringing back one of the most beloved cult classics in history is certainly a choice, but if it truly embraces the ultra-violence of the books, it might be able to stand on its own.
Source: Deadline
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