5 actors who should star in Luca Guadagnino's American Psycho remake

American Psycho is a cult classic. The film was a moderate critical and commercial success in 2000, but its reputation has grown exponentially, and it now considered to be among the most iconic and memed releases of the 21st century. Now, Hollywood wants to remake it.

The chips are stacked against the remake. It's difficult to envision a director striking a better balance of horror and comedy as well as Mary Haron, and a performer capturing the hollowness of the titular psycho than Christian Bale. Yet here we are, with plans for an adaptation helmed by Oscar nominee Luca Guadagnino.

Let's look at the glass half full, and run down some of the young actors who could deliver the goods as investment banker/potential serial killer Patrick Bateman.

1. Harris Dickinson

No matter the role, Harris Dickinson is going to bring intensity. He played John Paul Getty III in the 2018 miniseries Trust, and he's set to play a charismatic intern in the erotic thriller Babygirl opposite Nicole Kidman.

Not for nothing, Dickinson also excels at playing characters who are unpredictable from one scene to the next. The one point of concern fans may have is whether he can pull off American Psycho's black comedy, but we certainly wouldn't put it past him.

3. Austin Butler

Butler is a few years older that Patrick Bateman, but he doesn't look it. Plus, the actor is known for his intense commitment to roles, much in the way that his predecessor, Christian Bale is. We have seen him disappear into villainous roles, as did with Feyd Rautha in Dune: Part Two.

We've also seen him play violent and clueless in his breakthrough role in Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019). Butler's stock is continuing to rise, and the fact that he's a bigger box office draw than most of his peers can't be overlooked.

3. Will Poulter

Hear us out. Will Poulter is an excellent actor, as his varied resume has proven. His transformation from gawky teenager to strapping adult has been commented on and thirsted over ad nauseam on social media, and he has the comedic chops to portray a man who is trying desperately to be seen as cooler and more important than he is.

There's been lots of stress placed on the fact that Luca Guadagnino's American Psycho will be an adaptation of the novel, and not a remake of the Mary Haron film. As such, we can envision a take on the story that aligns with Poulter's innumerable strengths.

4. Mike Faist

We have to go with one of the actors Luca Guadagnino has worked with before. Timothee Chalamet was there for the taking, but we don't really see his strengths as an actor aligning with the character of Bateman. Faist is a more intriguing possibility, though.

While the actor played the nicer, less assertive male lead in Guadagnino's Challengers, he's capable of summoning the resentment and the embarrassment that Bateman contends with on a daily basis. We don't know if it would work, but it would be intriguing nonetheless.

5. Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi knows how to play unstable yet charismatic men. The actor rose to prominence with his commanding performance as Nate Jacobs on HBO's Euphoria (2019-), and he played a gentler, albeit intimidating version of Elvis Presley in Priscilla (2023).

Elordi has the look, the intensity and the youth to play Bateman. He's the exact same age as the character is in the source novel. The Australian actor was also spotted at a lunch with director Luca Guadagnino in September, and they collaborated on a Chanel ad a month later.

Nothing is set in stone, but Elordi certainly looks like a prime candidate at the moment.