Revered actor Christian Bale took on one of his most celebrated roles by playing Patrick Bateman in the feature film adaptation of American Psycho. An unconnected reboot film is currently in development, but filling Bale’s shoes is no easy task. It would appear that many A-listers in Hollywood are well aware of this, as the reboot appears to be struggling greatly with casting the next incarnation of Patrick Bateman.
Per Deadline, American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis recently shared an update on the reboot on his official podcast. While he didn’t share any names, Ellis claimed that multiple big names have already rejected the major role. While the author suspects that these actors are unwilling to follow Bale’s performance, he also stated that screenwriter Scott Z. Burns recently penned a new draft of the script following these rejections.
“A couple of high profile actors, whom I can’t name, have turned it down,” Ellis said. “I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale.”
He continued, “From what I’m told, this movie is completely different from Mary Harron’s 2000 movie. It’s a completely different take, and going to bear no resemblance to that movie.”
Related: Sarah Michelle Gellar Celebrates Mckenna Grace as the New Daphne
While specific plot details were not divulged, Ellis appears to be hinting that the reboot will take the story in a totally different direction. It’s easy to speculate that this might mean introducing a new main character. Potentially, that might make certain actors more interested in the project, as there could be less comparisons to Christian Bale if the new protagonist is not actually Patrick Bateman. Even so, given the American Psycho label, comparisons to the original adaptation are likely inevitable.
It hasn’t been an easy road getting a reboot made. In 2021, it was reported that American Psycho would be rebooted as a TV series, but that project never materialized. A later report in 2024 revealed that Luca Guadagnino was set to direct a new feature film adaptation of the novel.
No release date has been set for the new American Psycho adaptation.
