Luca Guadagnino Teases New ‘American Psycho’ Movie

Ryan Gajewski

Tue, April 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM UTC

2 min read

Luca Guadagnino is working on a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, with a script from Scott Z. Burns and exciting performers being considered for lead roles.
The project is not a remake of the 2000 film starring Christian Bale, but rather a fresh take on the novel, produced by Frenesy Films and executive produced by Sam Pressman.
Guadagnino hopes to debut footage of the new adaptation at a future CinemaCon event, with his recent work including Queer and Challengers, and Burns' recent projects including the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations and the Amazon movie The Report.

Luca Guadagnino is getting ready for his new take on Patrick Bateman.

Guadagnino appeared in a video segment during Lionsgate's presentation at CinemaCon on Tuesday to tease his new feature version of American Psycho that adapts author Bret Easton Ellis ' 1991 novel of the same name.

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"We are really working hard to bring to the screen a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho , a book that I deeply love that is something that influenced me so much," the director said. After confirming that the film has a script from Scott Z. Burns, Guadagnino noted, "He's doing an incredible job. The script is coming out very handsomely."

Guadagnino went on to tell the crowd that he is currently in "conversation with very exciting performers to play the leads." He said he hopes to return to CinemaCon down the road to debut footage.

American Psycho was previously adapted into a movie from director Mary Herron that starred Christian Bale as lead character Bateman, with Lionsgate releasing it in theaters in 2000. News of the update first broke in October.

The project hails from Frenesy Films and is said to not be a remake of the first adaptation but rather a new take on the novel. Sam Pressman of Pressman Films — whose father, Edward R. Pressman, produced the 2000 movie — is executive producing the new version.

Guadagnino's recent features include Queer and Challengers , with After the Hunt hitting theaters later this year with leads Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield.

Burns most recently created last year's Apple TV+ series Extrapolations , featuring an ensemble cast that includes Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Edward Norton, Diane Lane and Daveed Diggs. Burns helmed the 2019 Amazon movie The Report and has writing credits that include The Bourne Ultimatum .

CinemaCon is the annual event for exhibitors and Hollywood studios that runs this year from March 31 to April 3. It is presented by Cinema United (formerly the National Association of Theatre Owners).

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