Christian Bale at the premiere of My Pale Blue EyesCredit: Xavier Collin/ABACA/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images
By
Fariba Rezwan
Published Feb 21, 2026, 9:07 PM EST
Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor.
During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show.
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Christian Bale's portrayal as the fictionalized serial killer Patrick Bateman is such an undisputed masterpiece that it’s now scaring actors away.
The Oscar-winning actor has his fair share of playing many iconic characters, including Bruce Wayne/Batman and John Connor, but many audiences will argue that his most career-defining role was Patrick Bateman in the 2000 movie American Psycho. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial 1991 novel, Bale plays the materialistic Wall Street banker and yuppie who lives a secret life as a serial killer.
In 2024, it was announced that Lionsgate was working on a new American Psycho movie from Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. Despite casting speculations on who is playing Patrick Bateman, there hasn’t been much progress since then, and now the author may have pinpointed the reason.
While speaking on his own The Bret Easton Ellis podcast, he shared that “A couple of high-profile actors, whom I can’t name, have turned it down.” While he can’t confirm the root cause of these rejections, he believes that Bale’s monumental portrayal is probably repelling potential stars:
“I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale.”
Ellis also provided an update that Scott Z. Burns finished the script, considering that many actors passed on the last draft. He asserted that “this movie is completely different from Mary Harron’s 2000 movie. It’s a completely different take, and going to bear no resemblance to that movie.”
The author’s update supports the report that the remake would be a “new interpretation” from Lionsgate. The film would be produced by Frenesy Film, while Sam Pressman would be executive producer through his company Pressman Film.
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman holding an axe with a bright grin on his face and a clear smock over his suit in American Psycho
Following the confirmation of a remake, Patrick Batman casting speculation ignited immediately with top contenders like Robert Pattinson and Jacob Elordi, but there were reports that Austin Butler was offered the role in December 2024. Then, in 2025, rumors spiraled that Patrick Bateman may be gender-swapped and that Margot Robbie was set to star. That rumor was quickly debunked.
As of writing, however, no actor has formally signed on to accept the responsibility of playing Patrick Bateman, and now Ellis has given insight as to why that could be the case. It makes sense given that Bale put in a lot of work to establish the unhinged villain protagonist, which included going full method as he stayed in character through the movie’s filming, which even confused American Psycho cast members like Chloë Sevigny.
Despite Bale’s extreme acting preparations, the effort turned out to be rewarding, as Harron’s adaptation became a cult classic and put the future Batman on the map. It also became a box office success, making $34.2 million against a simple $7 million budget. Although there was an attempt to build on the success by making a standalone sequel, American Psycho 2, starring Mila Kunis, it was critically panned and was denounced by Ellis.
It also doesn’t help that the movie has found a new audience amid the author's eye-raising update. Bale’s portrayal of Patrick Bateman is still popular two decades later, becoming the center of many memes featuring the Oscar winner, while Generation Z viewers have described him as the epitome of “sigma male.”
Given the reputation of Patrick Bateman, it’s now synonymous with Bale’s depiction, which could explain why many high-profile actors are declining the offer. This could imply a lot of pressure to try to perfect the role, since it's historically difficult to follow up on any esteemed character without criticism or comparison to the original. While there have been a few attempts, such as Matt Smith in the stage musical and Michael Kremko in the standalone sequel, Bale’s portrayal remains the gold standard to this day.
Subscribe to the newsletter for American Psycho casting insight
Curious who can step into Patrick Bateman's shoes? Subscribe to our newsletter for focused coverage of American Psycho casting developments, behind-the-scenes context on iconic performances, and thoughtful takes on remake debates. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.It’s worth noting that while Bale was Harron and Ellis’s top choice to play Patrick Bateman, he didn’t accept the role until his agent told him it would end his career. Instead, he proved those odds wrong by clearly delivering on the intense, dark serial killer, and it's still remembered to this day.
Consequently, the new interpretation of the so-called unfilmable story remains in limbo until one actor has the guts to accept the challenge of playing an icon. The American Psycho remake currently has no further filming or release updates.
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American Psycho
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed R Crime Documentary Drama Thriller Release Date April 14, 2000 Runtime 101 minutes Director Mary Harron Writers Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron, Guinevere TurnerCast
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Subscribe to the newsletter for American Psycho casting insight
Curious who can step into Patrick Bateman's shoes? Subscribe to our newsletter for focused coverage of American Psycho casting developments, behind-the-scenes context on iconic performances, and thoughtful takes on remake debates. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Trending Now
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