An American Psycho remake: Too soon?

A mere 11 years after Christian Bale made a big splash by playing a murderous yuppie, Hollywood plans to do the whole thing over again

In 2000, Christian Bale played Patrick Bateman, a sadistic, murderous yuppy, in "American Psycho," which is set to get an update by one of David Fincher's proteges.
(Image credit: movieposter.com)

It's barely been a decade since Christian Bale terrified moviegoers with his career-changing turn in American Psycho. Nonetheless, Lionsgate announced Thursday that it's already planning a remake of the film, which is based on Brett Easton Ellis' 1991 novel. The original movie is a bitter and gruesome satire of yuppie excess, centered around a handsome investment banker named Patrick Bateman, who rakes in money at his prestigious Wall Street firm by day and is a gleefully sadistic killer at night. The planned remake will be written and directed by David Fincher protege Noble Jones, and will reportedly shift the original 1980s setting to the modern day. Is it smart to remake the cult classic so soon?

This sounds like a terrible idea: Sure, the 2000 version of American Psycho was "flawed in many ways," says Glen Chapman at Den of Geek. But owing to a brilliant performance from Christian Bale, the film remains "a fascinating watch." Whoever has to fill the Oscar-winner's shoes will have his work cut out for him. It's even more worrisome that an untested writer and director, Jones, will be making his feature debut with this tricky remake.

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