Well, let’s try and start this off as positively as possible. Say guys, you remember that modernized American Psycho sequel/remake that Lionsgate was starting to gear up on a couple of years ago? Well it looks like that’s not happening anymore. Take around three seconds to celebrate that news, and then brace for impact. Deadline reports this new version of Mary Harron’s film has transitioned from “unwanted film” to “unwanted TV series” that Lionsgate TV will be producing for FX. Now you’re free to turn that celebration into a protest. Go shove a stray cat inside of an ATM or something.
The project is coming to us from former Lionsgate Films head of production Allison Shearmur and Danish writer Stefan Jaworski. While Jaworski might not be a familiar name, he’s a big TV guy, and he conceived the Danish series Those Who Kill, about a serial murder investigation unit, which A&E has adapted into an America series that will air in 2014. Of course, the quality of that show has very little influence on how stupid an American Psycho TV show will probably be.
But beyond the basic lunacy behind the idea, the plotline is even more insane. It will be set in modern times, where main character Patrick Bateman will be a serial killer in his mid-50s who becomes a sadistic mentor to some younger to-be murderer, hoping to turn him into a “next-generation American psycho.”
First, this sounds like Dexter: The Early Years, in which Harry would be teaching him “the code.” And given how terrible that series has become over the years, that plot doesn’t sound exciting in the least. Second, if everyone will recall, in both the film and in Bret Easton Ellis’ excellent novel, it was totally ambiguous as to whether or not Bateman was actually responsible for doing any murdering at all. All the clues are laid out for audiences to understand that most of it just happened in his head. But this series will completely redact that bit of information and present it all as truth. And so even though he tries to get himself arrested for the crimes that may or may not have happened, he apparently got away with it for 30 years, and has now become completely comfortable with his latent insanity. Bah.
I understand that the new trend in TV is revamping old horror properties, as Fox’s upcoming Sleepy Hollow and NBC’s Dracula will be continuing the trend that Hannibal and Bates Motel started up. But if American Psycho II: All American Girl taught us anything, it’s that this is a film/book that doesn’t need to be revisited by anybody other than Ellis himself. I understand that FX needs to fill the timeslots that were vacated by the comedies going over to FXX, but this is not how this should happen.
All that said, I hope it’s amazing, just like the film. While I’d love to bring out the chainsaw scene right now, a trailer will have to suffice.
