Austin Butler to play Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino’s American Psycho

Austin Butler is set to play Patrick Bateman in director Luca Guadagnino’s new take on Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho.

According to Variety, the Oscar-nominated star of Elvis will take the lead after rumours suggested Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi would be starring.

Guadagnino, whose credits include Call Me by Your Name and this year’s tennis drama Challengers, will not be remaking Mary Harron’s acclaimed 2000 adaptation but will craft a new interpretation. The script comes from Scott Z Burns, whose work includes the Steven Soderbergh films Contagion, Side Effects and The Informant.

The book follows a narcissistic investment banker who is also a serial killer of women. The role was previously played by Christian Bale and then more recently by Matt Smith in a stage musical.

Guadagnino is currently on the press and awards trail for his adaptation of William S Burroughs’s novella Queer starring Daniel Craig. Next year will see the release of his college-set thriller After the Hunt starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. He is also attached to direct an adaptation of Pier Vittorio Tondelli’s 1989 novel Separate Rooms with Josh O’Connor and Léa Seydoux.

Earlier this month, Challengers received four Golden Globe nominations.

Butler received an Oscar nomination for playing Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic and this year has been seen in both Dune: Part Two and The Bikeriders.

He will next star in Ari Aster’s comedy western Eddington alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, and Darren Aronofsky’s 90s-set crime thriller Caught Stealing with Zoë Kravitz. He has also been rumoured to play a part in Michael Mann’s Heat sequel.