Patrick Bateman – the man, the murderer, the meme. When the serial killer from American Psycho appeared on screen in the form of Christian Bale in 2000, it quickly became clear to audiences that the satirical psychological thriller wanted to do more than just thrill. With a lot of blood and black humor, author Bret Easton Ellis and director Mary Harron brutally denounced the misanthropic mindset of Corporate America and Wall Street wolves.
But what would an American psycho look like today? A creative team under the Lionsgate banner will soon have to ask themselves this question, because as Hollywood journalist Jeffrey Sneider from The InSneider claims to have found out, one was recently discovered modern remake of American Psycho sent into development.
What is American Psycho about?
New York City in the late 80s: Patrick Bateman (Bale) is a successful and slimy investment banker who tells his secretary how to dress and competes with his clone-like colleagues based on expensive business cards. But unlike other Wall Street Zampanos, Patrick almost only pretends to be a member of humanity, from which he has long since mentally isolated himself.
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American Psycho
A man who has everything, has the perfect body, frequents the most exclusive restaurants in the city – and yet isn’t satisfied until he has killed the occasional homeless man or the occasional sex worker.
After the murder of his colleague Paul Allen (Jared Leto), an investigator (Willem Dafoe) finally seems to be on his trail. But in the ‘Murika of the markets, the changing reality ultimately tilts in favor of the white man with money…
What might a modern American Psycho look like?
Two big questions arise in the context of a remake: Who will fill the difficult shoes and play Patrick (or even Patricia) Bateman? And how will the film’s iconic satirical scenes be reinterpreted – if at all?
At that time, Leonardo DiCaprio was originally cast for the role, after which director Harron had to step down for a short time and her colleague Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers) took over the helm. Only when DiCaprio left due to creative differences did Harron return and bring Bale into the serial killer game.
Who is cast today will probably depend on who and what is currently being satirized. Is it still the soulless corporate cosmos of the USA, which has changed little or not at all since the 80s? Or maybe it’s influencers and online grifters to give the whole thing a completely fresh coat of paint?
Will Bateman still celebrate and overinterpret schmaltzy 80s hits? Or is today’s psycho a die-hard fan of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Kanye?
By the way, the gender swap was already carried out in the universally unpopular sequel American Psycho 2 with Mila Kunis as the sequel serial killer.