Christian Bale's replacement locked for American Psycho remake?

Here we go again: Luca Guadagnino is having a pop at adapting American Psycho, with all the inevitable chatter about who could possibly step into Christian Bale's homicidal Gucci loafers. This latest take, written by Scott Z. Burns, has been circulating in the rumour mill since 2024, and if you believe certain reputable sources, the big question of 'Who will be the next Patrick Bateman?' is actually more fraught than you might think.

We're in familiar territory here – since the start, names like Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jacob Elordi, and Austin Butler have each had a turn in the clickbait spotlight, while the man behind the original book, Bret Easton Ellis, reckons some 'high-profile actors' have run away screaming. And can you blame them? Nobody wants to court disaster by following Bale in a role he practically melted himself into. Ellis himself admitted that these actors simply 'don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale,' which is probably the wisest decision most would make this decade.

Bale’s Blessing (Sort Of), Reluctant Stars

Worth noting, Bale offered his own bit of deadpan support for the reboot. He admitted the prospect was 'bold' but did wish the new lot luck, giving maybe the classiest noncommittal blessing you’ll hear all year.

Here's how Bale put it when asked about the remake: "All the best to 'em, I like brave people. Whoever wants to give it a shot, give it a pop."

It's hard to overstate just how much Mary Harron's 2000 film has loomed over any attempt to revisit Bateman – for almost everyone, Bale is the character, right down to the ghastly business card scene and all those soulless workouts. But Ellis has insisted Guadagnino's take will be 'completely different,' for whatever that's worth when everyone’s already braced for comparisons.

Did Drew Starkey Spill the Beans?

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Drew Starkey – if you're not up on your breakout stars, he’s the one from Queer who’s suddenly everywhere – may have let more slip about Bateman than planned. In a chat with GQ, Starkey got prodded on whether he was actually in the running. At first, he clammed right up: classic 'no comment' territory. Then, in what can only be described as a rather loud accidental nudge-nudge-wink-wink to the entire internet, he outright said: 'the script is amazing though.'

Speaking to GQ after apparently realising he'd given too much away, Starkey blurted: "F***! I've read the script, but Luca's my friend. I think I've read all his scripts."

That might not be an on-the-record confirmation, but it is considerably more substance than your average rumour. And by the way, he’s worked with Guadagnino before (see: Queer), which gives these claims a fair bit of weight. Starkey’s also confessed in another interview that, back in 2024, he was tucking into the Easton Ellis novel – probably just for a bit of light reading, right?

Drew Starkey has read Guadagnino's American Psycho script and described it as 'amazing' before realising he'd said too much.

Just to keep everything honest: at the time of writing, Starkey hasn’t actually been confirmed for the part, and the casting wheel can spin in some odd directions (see also: Austin Butler's journey with Elvis). But if he’s already seen a script, we’re definitely further along than blind speculation would suggest. This one’s not solved yet, but you can almost picture Starkey staring into the mirror, flexing, and asking if we like Huey Lewis and The News.