Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming American Psycho adaptation is officially steering clear of one of Hollywood’s favorite modern trends: the gender-swapped reboot. Contrary to reports claiming that Margot Robbie would take on the role of Patrick Bateman, the film will keep its infamous serial killer male – just as in Bret Easton Ellis’s original 1991 novel and Mary Harron’s 2000 cult classic starring Christian Bale.
Deadline has now debunked The Sun’s earlier report, confirming that Robbie isn’t attached to play the lead killer. The rumors had suggested that a female reinterpretation of Bateman would ‘twist the narrative’ by reframing the crimes from a woman’s perspective. 
Yet according to sources close to the project, Guadagnino’s vision is not about altering gender dynamics for shock value – it’s about returning to the psychological and social horror that made Ellis’s novel both disturbing and fascinating. The director reportedly aims for a deeper, more faithful adaptation – one that dives into Bateman’s mind with all the grotesque satire and surreal madness that the original book dared to show but the 2000 film often softened.
That raises a key challenge: who could possibly replace Christian Bale’s cold, manic perfection? While Austin Butler’s name has surfaced as a possibility, nothing is confirmed. Whoever steps into Bateman’s shoes will face enormous pressure to equal Bale’s performance, which remains one of cinema’s most chilling portraits of corporate emptiness and narcissistic decay.
As for those craving a female-led take, the studio points to American Psycho II: All American Girl, a 2002 direct-to-video sequel with Mila Kunis – a film that many fans prefer to forget. Still, some argue Hollywood could explore fresh psycho-thrillers with women leads rather than rewriting existing icons. After all, the strength of American Psycho has always been its razor-sharp dissection of greed, masculinity, and identity – themes that don’t need gender-swapping to remain relevant. Guadagnino seems ready to prove that a faithful return to the source material might be more shocking – and more necessary – than a modern twist ever could.
2 comments
Making a female Bateman would’ve been weird unless they rewrote the entire premise
I’m fine with a faithful adaptation, just wondering if they’ll go as far as the novel’s craziest parts. That book was wild