Bret Easton Ellis’ novel American Psycho is heading to the big screen again, with Luca Guadagnino reportedly set to direct.
Mary Harron’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, released in 2000, has come to be regarded – eventually – as something a modern classic.
Featuring a star-making turn from Christian Bale as serial killer Patrick Bateman, and possibly the best use of Huey Lewis’ music in any film ever, it still stands up today as both a wildly entertaining thriller as well as a harsh critique of the capitalistic American society in the 1980s.
American Psycho 2 arrived in 2002, ostensibly a sequel but actually an original screenplay called The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, which was hastily rewritten into a sequel after the success of American Psycho. It was Mila Kunis’ first starring role.
According to Deadline, we’re now getting a new adaptation, which will be directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Scott Z Burns. It will be executive produced by Sam Pressman, the son of Edward R Pressman, who produced the original film. It is described not as a remake, but rather a new adaptation of the novel that will put a fresh spin on the story.
Luca Guadagnino’s next film will be Queer, starring Daniel Craig, which will be released in UK cinemas on the 13th December. He is also in post production on After The Hunt, starring Julia Roberts. A busy man.
Separately, a sequel comic book series was released this year too. The plot follows “an all-new psychopath, as social media obsessed millennial Charlie (Charlene) Carruthers goes on a downward spiral filled with violence. Drug fueled partying leads to bloodshed as Charlie leaves a trail of bodies on her way to discovering the truth about her dark nature”.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more. The original American Psycho is available to stream on Netflix.