American Psycho Writer Says Austin Butler’s Reboot Is ‘Fake News’
Reports published in late 2024 stated that could be in line to play the role of Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino’s of. This caused a flurry of headlines as the role was once made famous by Christian Bale in the original film adaptation of American Psycho released in 2000. However, Bret Easton Ellis, the author of the original 1991 book on which the film was based, said in a new interview that these reports could be “fake news.”
Ellis disclosed in a recent episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast that he believed the news of the American Psycho reboot featuring Austin Butler could be “fake.” He also claimed that he had heard from someone that most of the people reported to be involved with the project had not yet signed a contract.
“I heard somewhere, from someone, that there are no contracts,” Ellis said. “Austin Butler hasn’t signed anything to play Patrick Bateman. Luca doesn’t have a deal. Scott Burns, who is supposed to write the screenplay, doesn’t have a deal either.”
The author also cited “various sources” to claim that the “fake news” was put out to glean “how an audience is going to react.”
Ellis also made it clear that even if it did exist, he was not actively involved in the project. He elaborated, “I have nothing to do with this. I might get some money if they do this, but I am not involved creatively on any level, and that is all I know.”
Conversations about Luca Guadagnino‘s iteration of American Psycho have been going around for a while before the apparent confirmation came that Butler would play Patrick Bateman. The movie is reportedly in development at Lionsgate, which also served as the distributor (known at the time as Lions Gate Films) of the 2000 feature with Bale. This original adaptation was directed by Mary Harron from a screenplay she developed with Guinevere Turner. Besides Bale, the cast included Justin Theroux as Timothy Bryce, Josh Lucas as Craig McDermott, Jared Leto as Paul Allen, and Willem Dafoe as Donald Kimball, among others.
Read more on comingsoon.net
