American Psycho is a classic. The 2000 black comedy marked a dizzying creative high for director Mary Harron and a breakthrough performance from Christian Bale. It has since become fodder for internet memes and debates regarding its merits as a "film bro" staple.
Nothing is sacred in Hollywood, however. Lionsgate has been flirting with the idea of remaking the film for several months, and the studio has finally made it official. American Psycho will be betting a modern remake, and Oscar nominee Luca Guadagnino will direct.
Luca Guadagnino is coming off a stellar run of films
Deadline broke the news on October 18. The outlet confirmed that Guadagnino will get to work remaking the classic Bret Easton Ellis novel after he wraps up shooting on his upcoming release, After the Hunt. Gudagnino has been on an absolute hot streak over the last few years, in terms of critical acclaim and output.
After the Hunt will mark the fourth film he's directed in four years. The other releases include Bones and All (2022), Challenges and Queer (both 2024). Challengers, in particular, took the film world by storm, grossing $94 million and earning rave reviews from critics.
The titular American Psycho has yet to be cast
Scott Z. Burns has signed on to adapt the aforementioned novel, which was published in 1991. Burns has been been quiet on the film front this decade, but he's penned several acclaimed films for Steven Soderbergh, including The Informant! (2009), Contagion (2011) and Side Effects (2013).
More recently, Burns served as the showrunner and writer of the 2023 miniseries Extrapolations. The series strung together a series of anthology stories, and showcased Burns' knack for ensemble tales. The black comedy and singular, subjective tone of American Psycho is not something one typically associates with Burns, so it'll be interesting to see how he fares with Ellis' source material.
Lionsgate has not yet cast American Psycho's titular character. Gudagnino is known for working with talented young leading men like Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, and Timothee Chalamet, however, so it'll no doubt be someone who is up to the challenge.