Luca Guadagnino says “the script is coming out very handsomely” for his ‘American Psycho’ film and stated that he is in “conversation with very exciting performers to play the leads”.
Luca Guadagnino has teased “the script is coming out very handsomely” for his ‘American Psycho’ movie.
The 53-year-old filmmaker is to helm a new movie adaptation of author Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name, and has now revealed writer Scott Z. Burns is well on the way to finishing the screenplay for the flick.
Appearing in a video segment at CinemaCon, Guadagnino said: “We are really working hard to bring to the screen a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, a book that I deeply love that is something that influenced me so much.
“[Burns] is doing an incredible job. The script is coming out very handsomely.”
While the ‘Challengers’ director didn’t confirm any of the cast for his ‘American Psycho’ movie, Guadagnino teased he was currently in “conversation with very exciting performers to play the leads”.
Last December, it was reported Austin Butler would portray Patrick Bateman in ‘American Psycho’ – a role notably held by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation.
The new flick won’t be a direct remake of the 2000 movie, with Guadagnino’s version poised to be a new take on the story that will have a more significant erotic emphasis than the original picture.
Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson previously described the Italian director as the “perfect visionary” to helm the new ‘American Psycho’ film.
He said in a statement: “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.”
‘American Psycho’ follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy New York investment banker who hides his psychopathic nature behind a mask of charm and success while indulging in violent murders and sadistic fantasies.
As his grip on reality weakens, the novel blurs the line between reality and delusion – questioning whether his crimes are real or imagined.
The 2000 adaptation – which also starred Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon – received mostly positive reviews when it was released, and grossed over $34 million globally against a production budget of $7 million.
While Bale was praised for his haunting performance as Patrick Bateman, his co-star Chloe Sevigny – who portrayed Jean in the movie – admitted she found his method acting “very intimidating”.
She explained to her fellow ‘American Psycho’ star Josh Lucas during a discussion with Vanity Fair: “I was trying to respect his process, which I found challenging because I’m very gregarious and silly and goofy, unbeknownst to the general public.
“When people take themselves so seriously, I kind of shut down, even though I take my work very seriously and I love acting and whatnot.
“I wanted a little more generosity to make myself feel more at ease, which is my own ego. It was a really challenging dynamic for me, but I don’t think that I thought he was bad. I was just kind of confused, like, ‘Why aren’t you being social?’
“I wasn’t even that aware of what the Method thing was. I never had any formal training; I think I was just kind of ‘fake it until you make it’. But the whole Method thing, I was like, ‘What even is this approach?’ It was very intimidating.”
American Psycho gets positive update from director Luca Guadagnino
