Who Should Play Patrick Bateman in the New ‘American Psycho’ From Luca Guadagnino?

Did you know he’s utterly insane?

Christian Bale’s turn as Wall Street yuppie and serial killer Patrick Bateman in 2000’s “American Psycho” propelled him into a new level of super-stardom. The actor had previously delivered memorable performances in films like “Empire of the Sun,” “Newsies” and “Little Women,” but his work in the horror satire from Mary Harron cemented him as a versatile creative force.

Over two decades later, Bateman remains relevant as a pop culture figurehead, from his “sigma face” that’s been meme’d a thousand times over to his unforgettable one-liners (“I need to return some video tapes.”).

Now, “Challengers” filmmaker Luca Guadagnino is set to direct a new film version of the book by Bret Easton Ellis. The Lionsgate pic will feature a script by “The Laundromat” scribe Scott Z. Burns.

Patrick may put on a front as a tolerant, forward-thinking individual, but inner dialogue reveals him to be a racist, misogynist and homophobe. While Patrick’s privilege as a rich, white man in the 1980s is essential to him facing no consequences for a killing spree in the original film, Guadagnino has the opportunity to bring Bateman into today’s world by taking a new approach to the character. Considering Lionsgate has confirmed that the new “American Psycho” will not be a remake of the Bale-led movie, but a fresh adaptation of the book, there’s room to interpret the story — and character — differently.

Below, Variety has assembled a list of the best-suited actors to compare business cards, do a thousand stomach crunches and wield a chainsaw with glee.

Matt Donnelly contributed to this list.

• Jacob Elordi

  Elordi hasn’t starred in a Guadagnino film before, but he collaborated with the director on a recent Chanel No. 5 ad campaign alongside his “Wuthering Heights” co-star Margot Robbie — could that lead to his casting in the “Bones and All” helmer’s next big project? Elordi’s “Euphoria” character Nate Jacobs, while outwardly charming, has a real dark side and demonstrates some sociopathic behavior: he’s physically abusive, manipulative, violent and transphobic. He’s already sold audiences on himself as a rich golden boy in “Saltburn,” so “American Psycho” feels like a natural fit for the Aussie actor.

• Charles Melton

  Melton, a graduate of the “Riverdale” school of acting, wowed last year with his breakout performance opposite Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes’ “May December.” While he earned a Golden Globe nod for his role as the emotionally stunted husband to a teacher who preyed on him in his youth, it’s time to give Melton a shot at a grown-up role. The actor has primarily worked in the drama space, but he flexed some slapstick comedy chops for the first time in Mel Brooks’ 2023 series “History of the World, Part II,” which could come in handy for Bateman’s deranged morning routine.

• Aubrey Plaza

  It should come as no surprise that Hollywood’s reigning princess of darkness would appear on this list. It would be thrilling to see Plaza’s (typically) comedic intensity interpreted for the status-obsessed yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman. Perhaps more thrilling would be simply casting Plaza to fill his suit and loafers without a full-on “Ghostbusters- style gender reboot. Part of Plaza’s appeal is her gonzo dedication to dangerous art – as spelled out in this Indie Spirit Awards sketch where she and a Mt. Rushmore of indie film stars sacrifice a “Stranger Things” cast member. The less explained the better, just give her the chainsaw. —Matt Donnelly

• Dev Patel

  Despite an impressively wide-ranging filmography, we’ve never seen Patel sink his teeth into a true villain role (We refuse to acknowledge 2010’s live-action “The Last Airbender”). He’s got a certain earnest quality behind the eyes that makes it nearly impossible to root against him — making him a fascinating choice to play an iconic sociopath. He already got bloody this year for his directorial debut “Monkey Man,” so a few scenes with an axe shouldn’t scare him.

• Finn Wittrock

  Wittrock’s already played a killer clown — is a killer Wall Street yuppie that much of a stretch? While the actor earned Emmy nods for “American Horror Story: Freak Show” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” he remains criminally underrated outside of the Ryan Murphy universe. He’s got a knack for playing rich pretty boys with a dark side, so Patrick Bateman is right in his wheelhouse.

• Will Poulter

  Will Poulter feels like the kind of guy you’d trust to watch your drink at a bar, which is exactly what would make him such an interesting Bateman. He recently portrayed literal golden boy Adam Warlock in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” but has the range to play a total ass (see: “Midsommar,” “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”). He hasn’t worked with Guadagnino, but was photographed with the director at a screening of “Queer” the day before it was revealed he would helm “American Psycho.”

• Margaret Qualley

  What if Patrick Bateman was a girlboss? Given her “The Substance” character’s fixation with looking perfect, it’s almost too easy to picture Qualley methodically peeling off an herb mint facial mask in front of the mirror as her piercing eyes bore into the camera.

• Drew Starkey

  Starkey may have hit it big for the teen series “Outer Banks,” but he’s poised for a major breakout when Guadagnino’s “Queer,” in which he stars opposite Daniel Craig, hits theaters this November. “I knew that I could trust Luca very quickly,” Starkey told Variety of working with the director. Given Guadagnino’s proclivity for frequently collaborating with the same actors, it seems likely he’d be considered for the Bateman role. In a June interview with Interview Magazine, Starkey revealed he was reading “American Psycho.” “I think it’s brilliant. It’s quite violent, but it’s brilliant,” he said. Did he know something we didn’t?

• Manny Jacinto

  “The Good Place” fans have been on the Jacinto train for years, but it seems the rest of the world finally caught up after his performance as the scoundrel Qimir in “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte.” He’s got the comedic chops to nail the funnier elements of the social satire, but enough gravitas to convincingly portray a board room bad boy. And he wouldn’t look too shabby in a clear raincoat, either.

• Harris Dickinson

  From “Triangle of Sadness” to “The Iron Claw,” if there’s one thing Harris Dickinson has, it’s range. In his upcoming film “Babygirl” opposite Nicole Kidman, he adds another feather to his cap as a dominant, seductive young professional — exactly the qualities that would make for an exciting new Bateman.

• Cooper Koch

  We know it’s a little on the nose to suggest that the actor playing convicted killer Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s “Monsters” play Patrick Bateman, but it’s too delicious of an idea to pass up. Koch is no stranger to the horror genre, previously starring in “Swallowed” and “They/Them.” Koch has eagerly pitched himself for the “American Psycho” role, telling Variety‘s Marc Malkin on a recent red carpet, “I love Bret Easton Ellis. I did ‘Less Than Zero.’ I just read ‘The Shards,’ too. I feel like it would be pretty perfect.”

• Lucien Laviscount

  The resident charmer of the loved-and-hated “Emily in Paris,” Laviscount brings an alluring, earnest nature to his role as Alfie. He oozes charisma, which is likely why his name’s been floated as the next James Bond. But allow us to suggest that he plays against type: it’s hard to picture him as a killer. Isn’t that exactly why Bateman gets away with it?