Did you know he’s utterly insane?
Christian Bale’s turn as Wall Street yuppie and serial killer Patrick Bateman in 2000’s “American Psycho” propelled him into a new level of super-stardom. The actor had previously delivered memorable performances in films like “Empire of the Sun,” “Newsies” and “Little Women,” but his work in the horror satire from Mary Harron cemented him as a versatile creative force.
Over two decades later, Bateman remains relevant as a pop culture figurehead, from his “sigma face” that’s been meme’d a thousand times over to his unforgettable one-liners (“I need to return some video tapes.”).
Now, “Challengers” filmmaker Luca Guadagnino is set to direct a new film version of the book by Bret Easton Ellis. The Lionsgate pic will feature a script by “The Laundromat” scribe Scott Z. Burns.
Patrick may put on a front as a tolerant, forward-thinking individual, but inner dialogue reveals him to be a racist, misogynist and homophobe. While Patrick’s privilege as a rich, white man in the 1980s is essential to him facing no consequences for a killing spree in the original film, Guadagnino has the opportunity to bring Bateman into today’s world by taking a new approach to the character. Considering Lionsgate has confirmed that the new “American Psycho” will not be a remake of the Bale-led movie, but a fresh adaptation of the book, there’s room to interpret the story — and character — differently.
Below, Variety has assembled a list of the best-suited actors to compare business cards, do a thousand stomach crunches and wield a chainsaw with glee.
Matt Donnelly contributed to this list.
From Variety US