American Psycho Author Making Directing Debut With Stranger Things Star
Bret Easton Ellis is no stranger to having his works of fiction adapted into movies by other writers and directors, but now he’s gearing up to direct his first feature-length film, entitled Relapse. Joseph Quinn, who has been quite busy on the cinematic front since winning over audiences with his portrayal of Eddie Munson in Stranger Things, will be working under Ellis’ direction and receive top billing as the star of the film.
Though the American Psycho author has had experience writing screenplays for films like The Informers, The Canyons, and Smiley Face Killers, Relapse will mark the first time that his full vision and artistic voice will be cohesively realized through the medium of filmmaking.
Joseph Quinn’s Character
Like most of Bret Easton Ellis’ literary works, Relapse will be set in Los Angeles and follow the familiar character archetype that’s synonymous with novels he’s written in the past. Joseph Quinn’s Matt Hunt will take center-stage as a young man who checks himself into rehab after becoming traumatized by a death he witnesses at a party.
Showing the dark side of teenage life in an upper-class environment, Hunt will become increasingly paranoid as he comes to terms with his deteriorating mental state at the hands of a monster that his therapist thinks only exists in his mind.
Elevated Horror
Bret Easton Ellis is excited about the prospect of paying homage to the monster movie classics of the past that he adored so much as a child. Stating that he’s never seen a monster movie plot play out in the kind of environment he’s been known to explore, Ellis hopes to take his unique sense of character development and narrative structure and push the horror genre into new territory by leaning into the settings and characters that he is most familiar with.
Making The Monster
As for the monster in the upcoming Bret Easton Ellis film, producer Nicolas Rolland has recruited DDT Studios to handle the VFX duties. DDT Studios has most recently gained quite a bit of attention for their work on last year’s Society of the Snow, which landed them an Academy Award Nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. While Society of the Snow was praised for its realism, it’s worth noting that studio owner David Martí won an Oscar for Best Makeup for his work on 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth.
American Psycho Author Wasn’t Happy With The Film
As much as we love the film adaptation of American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis wasn’t wholly satisfied with the final product, as he didn’t have creative control over the project. Citing how the novel’s first-person narrative was difficult to translate into a feature-length film, Ellis was ultimately unhappy with how Patrick Bateman’s violent odyssey played out on the big-screen, leaving little to no room for ambiguity.
But now that he seemingly has total creative control over the narrative Relapse will explore, it’s safe to say that we’ll finally bear witness to a Bret Easton Ellis monster movie that’s coming straight from his own warped mind.
Relapse Still In Early Development
While Relapse is still currently in the early production phases, we’re excited to find out what other casting choices will be made for Bret Easton Ellis’ directorial debut. Now that we know Joseph Quinn is on board, it’s only a matter of time until supporting roles are announced.
Source: Variety
