Austin Butler has landed his next movie role, with the star set to lead the upcoming American Psycho reboot.
It was announced in October that Luca Guadagnino – best known for Challengers and Call Me By Your Name – would helm an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel, which had previously been made into a film in 2000 by Mary Harron.
Two months after the announcement, it seems that Guadagnino has now found his Patrick Bateman, with Variety reporting that Butler – who has garnered acclaim for his roles in Elvis and Dune: Part Two – is set to fulfil the role previously played by Christian Bale.
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The upcoming film, which is being written by Scott Z Burns, is said to not be a remake of the 2000 film, but instead a different adaptation of Ellis’s novel, which follows a vain and narcissistic banker who lives a double life as a serial killer.
Guadagnino’s version will come after a busy spell for the filmmaker, with Queer – which stars Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey – being released just eight months after Challengers was shown in cinemas.
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For Butler, the announcement comes amidst a productive period, with the actor recently signing up for American Speed alongside Tom Holland. The film will reportedly follow the 1980s IMSA Scandal, with Butler and Holland set to play the Whittington brothers.
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This comes hot off the heels of The Bikeriders, which follows a gang of bikers – consisting of Johnny (Tom Hardy) and Benny (Butler) amongst others – in 1960s Chicago. Butler, whose character charms Jodie Comer’s Kathy, previously spoke of his experience of working with Hardy, whom he called his “hero”.
“You never know when you meet your heroes if you're going to get along,” Butler told Entertainment Weekly of his co-star. “And Tom makes me laugh harder than almost anyone in this world.”
Luca Guadagnino's American Psycho currently has no release date.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
