American Psycho Remake Flips the Script With a Bold New Vision

American Psycho turned 25 this year, and while everyone was celebrating the blood-soaked brilliance of Mary Harron’s film, Luca Guadagnino has been quietly sharpening the ax for a new take. Yes, a remake is happening — but not the one you’re picturing.

Where this started

Back in October 2024, Guadagnino signed on to direct a new American Psycho with a script by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion). Two months later, the whisper mill fired up: Austin Butler (Elvis) and Jacob Elordi (Saltburn) were in the conversation for Patrick Bateman, with Patrick Schwarzenegger (The White Lotus) also on the producers’ radar. Then… radio silence.

Why the pause? Bret Easton Ellis has thoughts

The author of the novel, speaking on his podcast, said a couple of big-name actors bailed rather than step into Christian Bale’s shadow. His words, not mine:

"A couple of high-profile actors, whom I can’t name, have turned it down. I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale."

Ellis added that Burns has already delivered a new draft that swerves hard from the 2000 film:

"From what I’m told, this movie is completely different from Mary Harron’s 2000 movie. It’s a completely different take, and going to bear no resemblance to that movie."

Translation: this won’t be a cover song. If anything, that probably makes it easier for a lead to put his own stamp on Bateman without inviting a direct Bale comparison.

A quick refresher on Harron’s classic

Harron’s film, co-written with Guinevere Turner, followed Patrick Bateman — a polished, Harvard-educated Wall Street star with a pristine life: high-status friends, a glamorous fiance, and a business card obsession that has its own fan club. Behind the mask, he spirals into violent compulsion while a detective inches closer and the city keeps tempting him at every turn. The movie, based on Bret Easton Ellis’s lightning-rod novel, carved out a reputation as a sleek, unnerving satire that slides cleanly into horror.

What we know right now

• Director: Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All, Queer, and the Suspiria remake)
• Writer: Scott Z. Burns (Contagion), with a newer draft delivered after some A-listers passed
• Casting: No Bateman locked; Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi were eyed in late 2024, with Patrick Schwarzenegger also on the radar
• Approach: Per Ellis, this version is a completely different take and won’t mirror the 2000 film
• Timing: The remake ramps up as the original hits its 25th anniversary in 2025, firmly in cult-classic territory

So, where does that leave us?

Guadagnino steering a radical reimagining is honestly the only move that makes sense if you’re going to touch this material. If the new script really ditches the blueprint, the big question shifts from 'Who can top Bale?' to 'Who can redefine Bateman?' I’ll take those odds.