Multiple high-profile actors have turned down the gig, says American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis.
The man behind Patrick Bateman, Bret Easton Ellis, shared a small casting update in the most recent episode of his podcast.
Ellis was interviewing Dimes Square icon Peter Vack when he let slip that a couple of notable stars have politely declined the role of your favourite film bro’s favourite serial killer. Which comes as a surprise after the last confirmed Bateman was to be Austin Butler.
He goes on to say “I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale” – which is very fair, considering the cult status Bale’s original performance has reached.
“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,” Ellis hinted.
The latest adaption is slated to be directed by Luca Guadagnino, a trusted director after previous adaptations Call Me By Your Name, Queer, and Suspiria. I doubt American Psycho’s queer subtext will be lost on Guadagnino.
And though Ellis’s graphic writing may be safe in Guadagnino’s hands, one wonders if the gravity of Bateman’s sadistic misogyny will translate when the director is not a woman.
Mary Hannon, who directed the 2000 cult classic, co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner. Hannon and Turner were already icons of the Queer community; Hannon had just directed I Shot Andy Warhol, a re-telling of the life of Valerie Solanas, radical feminist, proud lesbian, and Warhol’s attempted assassin; Turner had just starred in the beloved lesbian film The Watermelon Woman alongside Cheryl Dunye.
Hannon and Turner appeared as the right voices to tell the story of a suppressed, sadistic, Wall Street finance bro.
American Psycho’s satire and strong criticisms are often lost on Bateman’s own kind, instead, they transform him into a relatable, sigma male. The rise of the internet has only proliferated his worship, and in turn, made the imminent remake more timely.
Becoming a symbol of violent misogyny for reddit basement dwellers would scare off most actors, and even in 2000, caused great difficulty in casting.
Ellis has assured the adaptation will be different to Harron’s, but will it be different in style, or because from a confirmed crew of 4, just 1 person is a woman, executive producer Paula Paizes.
The power of Harron’s original direction was transforming the text into a feminist work, placing the audience in the eyes of its terrified women. Will Guadagnino be able to do the same?
