Of all the films that have been released over the past 25 years, one that continues to be hotly debated is American Psycho. The 2000 horror/satire is mostly remembered for the way events quickly spiral out of control as Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman goes on a wild murder spree, leaving viewers to wonder (A LOT) about the American Psycho ending. Now, though, game-changing female director Mary Harron’s film has a remake in the works, and those involved in making the original have spoken out about it.
What’s Going On With The American Psycho Remake?
As the 2025 movie schedule is chugging right along, one project that film fans are either looking forward to hearing more about or dreading, is Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming American Psycho remake. In fact, many fans of the cult classic are rather horrified that the movie (which was based on author Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name) has become yet another beloved film to be pegged for the remake treatment.
Elvis Oscar nominee Austin Butler is said to be taking on the lead role (though Easton Ellis has expressed doubts about that), but one might wonder how those who helped craft one of the best movies of the 2000s feel about the idea of their classic being remade. Actor/filmmaker Matt Ross (who portrayed a co-worker of Bateman’s in the extremely dark comedy) is one such creative who recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the updated take, and said:
On one hand, I am always sad about remakes. I personally have been offered them in the past as a director, and I’ve been very reticent to engage in that because it always feels like just mercenary capitalism and nothing else.
Obviously, this complaint is very common with everything from traditional dramas and comedies to Disney live-action remakes being pretty standard practice now. In fact, remakes are such a part of the machine known as Hollywood that there are likely dozens of films that you might now even know are actually remakes.
What Are Other Responses To The American Psycho Remake?
Though it is almost certainly done to capitalize on the built-in audience that comes with rebooting an already popular story, Ross appears to feel that it’s not totally fair to cite that as the only motivation, particularly because there’s a book that came before anything else. He continued:
That still feels like a business venture more than anything else, but being that it’s based on a book, there can be multiple interpretations, so why not? I think they have their work cut out for them, for no other reason than Christian’s performance is exceptional.
Making any movie is an uphill battle, but trying to bring your own version of a story that’s already been done and loved to the screen is an even bigger challenge. However, with the filmmaker behind modern marvels like Call Me by Your Name, Suspiria and A Bigger Splash on board for the adaptation, Chris Hanley, who produced the original, thinks anyone with doubts should calm down. He added:
Everybody’s calling me, going like, ‘How stupid to make [American Psycho].’ I’m not like that. Luca is a great director. He’s never made a bad movie.
Feel how you will about remakes, especially about ones for movies you love. But, it will probably help to know that the process is unlikely to end anytime soon, and to take comfort in knowing that, at least in this case, someone who’s “never made a bad movie” is at the helm.
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