(NEXSTAR) — Could a real-life “Patrick” be stepping into the shoes of Patrick Bateman, the main character of Bret Easton Ellis’ provocative 1991 novel “American Psycho” and its 2000 movie adaptation? It seems one Patrick is indeed in the running for this role.
Although updates regarding the upcoming adaptation, which is expected to be directed by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (“Challengers”), have been progressing slowly, there was some recent discussion about who might or might not be ideal to fill the role that Christian Bale famously brought to life in Mary Lambert’s film from 2000.
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Even though it was earlier mentioned that Oscar-winner Austin Butler (“Elvis”) was being considered for the part, no official agreement has been announced by anyone associated with the production.
But one recent alum of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Patrick Schwarzenegger, has been publicly campaigning to play Bateman for months.
When news of Guadagnino’s adaptation hit social media, Schwarzenegger himself quoted Variety’s announcement on X, writing: “My dream.”
Then on April 30, after an X user had quoted a Film Updates post about “American Psycho” reportedly going into production, with the caption, “Patrick Schwarzenegger, I’ve found your breakout role.” Schwarzenegger replied, “I’d love nothing more ;)”.
Though Schwarzenegger, 31, has appeared in multiple TV shows and films, his role as Saxon Ratliff on the third season of HBO’s luxury resort mystery series earned him both acclaim and increased notoriety. Schwarzenegger is of course also the son of action movie legend Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist/activist Maria Shriver. Prior to his role in “Lotus,” Schwarzenegger portrayed former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow in FX’s “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.”
Back in 2021, Schwarzenegger even recreated some of the iconography from the original “American Psycho” film, as part of a Vanity Fair feature — could this be manifesting? Only time (and casting directors) will tell.
Meanwhile, though Austin Butler has been widely considered the front-runner for the Bateman role, recently casting director Kerry Barden, who cast the 2000 film, told the Hollywood Reporter that while she believes the 33 year-old “Dune: Part Two” star “has a lot of depth as an actor,” she believes he’s better suited for the role of Paul Allen (Jared Leto in the original film). Barden explained that they cast Leto based on his beauty and that Butler has a similar beauty, which might be wrong for the ultra-masculine Bateman.
Updates on Guadagnino’s “American Psycho” will likely be ratcheting up soon. What we know so far: 1. Guadagnino said at CinemaCon in April that the script is “coming out very handsomely” and 2. Those involved in the project have said the new film will not be a “remake” of the 2000 film, rather a new adaptation of Ellis’ novel.
Some initial reactions to news of the adaptation were mixed, as the film has become a cult classic and Bale’s performance is widely regarded as one of his best (and a frequently mentioned Oscar snub). Back in February, British GQ named “American Psycho” Bale’s second-best performance of all time (though we tend to disagree that his portrayal of Bruce Wayne is better).
Finally, in other “American Psycho” news, a familiar face from the original film, actress Chloë Sevigny, recently revealed she pitched a return to Guadagnino himself. As reported by IndieWire, Sevigny, who played the role of Bateman’s secretary Jean, told Guadagnino she’d return in the exact same role, if he were down for it.
“I pitched to him that I should play Jean again, and that they do that reverse-aging on me,” Sevigny told IndieWire. “I thought that would be something that he would be into, conceptually having the same actress play the same part. But I don’t know. He said he was going to think of something else for me.”
