Austin Butler is officially taking over the role of Patrick Bateman from Christian Bale in Lionsgate and Frenesy Films’ remake of ‘American Psycho’ (per ComicBook).
Bale’s portrayal of Bateman in the original film earned him critical praise and opened the way for his casting in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy. It also helped the Mary Harron-directed project to gain a cult following over the years.
That’s why many argue that a remake is ‘pointless,’ especially because the audiences are now exhausted by the increasing amount of reboots. Still, the studios show no sign of stopping the upcoming film.
Butler as Patrick Bateman is the first-major announcement about the new cast. Previously, Luca Guadagnino (‘Call Me By Your Name’ and ‘Challengers’) was brought in to direct a screenplay from Scott Z. Burns.
The remake is reportedly directly based on Bret Easton Ellis’ original novel of the same name and is not inspired by other adaptations, including the 2000 film.
‘American Psycho’ tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer. The original film features Bale with Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage, Chloë Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Cara Seymour, and Guinevere Turner.
Work on the remake is ongoing, but a release date has not been announced yet.
