14 DAY TRIAL // For those who believe that Hollywood is sucking the life out of classic films by having them remade, updated and followed up, this is bound to be sad news: Lionsgate is working on a remake of “American Psycho,” which originally starred Christian Bale.
Not only does the movie studio have plans for a new “American Psycho” film, but it also has a finished script and is now in the market for a director to bring the shocking story to the big screen again
“American Psycho,” the story of the psychopathic killer Patrick Bateman, is one of Bale's most distinctive works, so having it remade might mean starting on the wrong footing if only for this reason.
Of course, there's also the question of how the story would need updating to make it palatable for today's audiences, since there's no denying the appeal of the original film also had a lot to do with the context in which the story was set.
“The original film (like the book by Bret Easton Ellis that it adapts), is meant to be a scathing critique of 1980s America. So, of course, Lionsgate is planning to set the film in post-9/11 America,” ScreenCrave informs, citing ongoing reliable reports.
A script is already done and Lionsgate is now looking for a good director.
“The remake/reboot will be written by Noble Jones, who did some second unit direction on The Social Network,” the movie-oriented e-zine further says.
“His script is now finished 'and he hopes to direct, and that the film is intended as an “updated, down and dirty low budget” version of the story that looks at how NYC has changed… and the new script looks at how Patrick Bateman’s actions would work out in the new New York',” SC further says.
With this out of the way, the movie studio also has to think about who could possibly walk in Bale's impressively large shoes: his take on Batman is iconic, and whoever has seen the original will inevitably compare the new star with Bale, when they see the remake.
Voices online are already saying that, if only for the obstacles listed above, an “American Psycho” is a bad idea, one that's bound to translate into a commercial and critical flop.
For the time being, these are all the details available on the rumored remake. Make sure you keep an eye on this space for updates.