Bret Easton Ellis says Luca Guadagnino’s ‘American Psycho’ reboot is “fake news”
Bret Easton Ellis, the author of American Psycho, has claimed the rumoured upcoming new film adaptation of his novel by Luca Guadagnino is “fake news”.
In October 2024, it was announced that Luca Guadagnino, the director behind Challengers, was taking on a new adaptation of American Psycho. Following the iconic film starring Christian Bale, it was reported that Guadagnino’s version would follow closer to the original text than the original remake.
In December, it was reported that actor Austin Butler had been cast to play Patrick Bateman’s psychotic lead role. Jacob Elordi was reportedly also in the running for the role before it was clinched by Butler.
However, in a recent episode of his podcast, the author of the novel raised doubts about the whole project, claiming that the upcoming film isn’t real. Ellis claimed that neither Guadagnino nor Butler are contracted for a new adaptation, and he also confirmed that he has nothing to do with any new remake.
“I have a feeling it’s fake news,” Ellis said, “I heard somewhere, from someone, that there are no contracts. Austin Butler hasn’t signed anything to play [character] Patrick Bateman. Luca doesn’t have a deal. Scott Burns, who is supposed to write the screenplay, doesn’t have a deal either.”
He continued, “From various sources that I have, this is just fake news that was put out there to see how an audience is going to react. […] If it does exist, I am not involved, 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.”
However, with this revelation only coming from “somewhere, from someone” or from “various sources”, Ellis’ intel on the project is in no way certain.
When the project was first announced, Lionsgate commented on the news as they locked the director in, suggesting the remake will go ahead. “We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate,” a statement from the company read. They continued, “Luca is a brilliant artist, and the perfect visionary to create a whole new interpretation of this potent and classic IP.”
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