Several well-known actors have turned down roles in an upcoming remake of the movie American Psycho, according to the author of the book it was based on.
Bret Easton Ellis’s novel of the same name was published in 1991, and adapted for the screen in 2000 by director Mary Harron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner. Starring Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, an investment banker and serial killer, the movie offered a sharp critique of capitalism, toxic masculinity, corporate greed, and the emptiness of modern society.
Harron’s version—which also starred Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Chloë Sevigny, and Josh Lucas, among others—remains a cultural touchstone. More than a quarter-century later, the movie is now being reimagined under the creative control of Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino and writer Scott Z. Burns.
Preparations for the remake, which was announced in 2024, are well underway. However, Ellis believes the lasting impact of Bale’s iconic performance nearly 30 years ago might be impacting the film’s casting.
“A couple of high-profile actors, whom I can’t name, have turned it down,” Ellis said on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, as reported by Deadline. “I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale.”
Jacob Elordi and Austin Butler were both rumored to be in the mix for the role of Bateman, however no name has been confirmed.
Regardless of final casting decisions, Ellis, 61, said audiences can expect a film experience a world away from the 2000 version.
“From what I’m told, this movie is completely different from Mary Harron’s 2000 movie,” he said on his podcast. “It’s a completely different take, and going to bear no resemblance to that movie.”
Sam Pressman of Pressman Film will serve as executive producer, honoring the legacy of his father Edward R. Pressman, a producer on the 2000 version, who passed away in 2023.
The younger Pressman believes the “palpable” connection between director Guadagnino and screenwriter Burns will deliver something special.
“I think [Patrick] Bateman is an icon of culture, and I think Luca’s vision is to make a film that is truly mind-blowing, and I hope that it’s a cultural moment that people debate and discuss,” Pressman told IndieWire in 2025.
