When I first saw American Psycho, I knew I was seeing something special. Just like with Fincher’s Fight Club, this was a movie I really wanted to see in the theater, but I had to wait for video. Christian Bale turned in a knock out performance that really should have been Oscar nominated, in a movie that had a really black sense of humor.
Well, now Lionsgate is going to go and remake it- they’re planning a “microbudget” remake that will be written and directed by a music video helmer named Noble Jones, who worked on The Social Network for David Fincher. This bit in the article is most interesting:
His take was to tap the Bret Easton Ellis novel and turn it into a down and dirty new version that imagines how yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman would fare in New York today, factoring in how the world has changed since the 2000 film that starred Christian Bale.
I’m liking that it actually doesn’t sound all that much like a remake, as much as an update. With Occupy Wall Street happening, I bet there will be plenty to make Patrick Bateman go insane.
Still, the film being “microbudget” is a big laugh, as the original version was low budget to begin with. About 5 or 6 million. I can only imagine how much lower they’re going to go, and if they’re going to actually film some of the more unsettling material this time around. (Rat. Cheese. Pipe. Woman. Disturbing.) It would be pretty ballsy of them to do that.
I’m pretty sure we’d all love to see Christian Bale return as Patrick Bateman, but that would be a really long shot. They should just go older and use William Fichtner, but he’s my go to casting decision for just about everything. Well, him and Richard Brake.
Source: Deadline
3 comments
This is one of the few movies that as soon as it ended I had to watch it again, immediately. Bale’s performance cannot be topped, and it is such a product of the 80’s. It is also one of the few examples where the movie may actually be superior to the book, in terms of execution(obviously, the book came first, and was the originator of the story). I actually think removing some of the violence actually made it better, and I am fan of gore, but the story benefited from not lingering on the graphic violence and focusing more on the hilariously dark comedy.
I suspect this remake will be like Phil Collin’s solo career “more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way.” I’d continue my thoughts, but I have to return some videotapes….
American Psycho is a classic film, it was perfectly of its time and amazingly prescient. I feel bad for anyone involved with this, I cannot see how it would not suffer greatly in comparison.
I remember being annoyed before seeing the original movie when I read that the director had a problem showing certain things from the book – like having dwarves dressed as elves at the Christmas party! While I hope that the remake is as depraved as the book, I can’t see anybody topping Bale’s performance. The less said about the Mila Kunis/William Shatner sequel, the better.
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