Luca Guadagnino is having a great 2024 with the release of Challengers and Queer, and he already has his sights set on his next project: a remake of American Psycho. Published in 1991 and written by author Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy and narcissistic investment banker in New York City who is also a serial killer. The novel’s depictions of violence were so controversial that it was banned in multiple countries. In 2000, American Psycho was adapted into a feature film directed by Mary Harron and starring Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman.
Deadline has reported that director Luca Guadagnino is in final negotiations to direct a new version of American Psycho for Lionsgate Pictures. Sources told Deadline that Guadagnino’s American Psycho would be closer to a new adaptation of Ellis’ original novel than a remake of Mary Harron’s film. The new adaptation is being written by Scott Z. Burns, whose credits include the Steven Soderbergh thrillers Contagion and Side Effects.
While Lionsgate originally planned to develop American Psycho as a television series, meetings with Guadagnino made the studio reconsider the property as a film based on the filmmaker’s unique take. Regarding Guadagnino’s adaptation, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said:
“We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate. Luca is a brilliant artist, and the perfect visionary to create a whole new interpretation of this potent and classic IP.”
Despite the book being so controversial at the time of its publication, American Psycho has gone on to become a valuable franchise over the years. Due in part to Bale’s iconic performance, the 2000 film became a pop-culture touchstone and grossed $34 million against its $7 million budget. A direct-to-video sequel, American Psycho 2, starring Mila Kunis, was released in 2012. In 2013, a musical stage adaptation debuted in London with Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith as Patrick Bateman. It is not surprising Lionsgate wants to remake American Psycho after all this time.
Luca Guadagnino is the Right Man for American Psycho
Guadagnino has been having a pretty spectacular 2024. Challengers, which was originally set for release in 2023 but delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, opened at number one at the box office in its first weekend and went on to gross $94 million at the worldwide box office while earning glowing reviews from critics. His next film, Queer, earned strong reviews at the Venice Film Festival, and A24 has set the film for limited release on November 27, 2024. Both Challengers and Queer have already started generating awards buzz, so Guadagnino is certainly on a hot streak.
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Guadagnino’s next film is the thriller After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloë Sevigny. The movie is currently set for release in 2025. While some might be hesitant about remaking a beloved horror thriller like American Psycho, Guadagnino’s work on the remake of Suspiria shows that he is more than cut out to reimagine a classic and give it his own spin. After a year of box office flops like Borderlands and The Crow, Lionsgate Pictures might have better luck with a mid-budget adult-oriented thriller under the direction of Guadagnino, one that won’t need a big investment and that doesn’t need to break box office records to be profitable.
- Release Date
- April 14, 2000
- Runtime
- 101 minutes