Luca Guadagnino to direct new adaptation of ‘American Psycho’

Luca Guadagnino is becoming an Italian Psycho.

The “Queer” and “Challengers” filmmaker is in final negotiations to sign on for an “American Psycho” adaptation at Lionsgate, Deadline reports. 

Guadagnino’s take is described as a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel, about a Wall Street investment banker who moonlights as a serial killer. Scott Z. Burns (“The Report”) is writing the script. The novel was previously adapted into a cult classic 2000 film starring Christian Bale and directed by Mary Harron. The film was one of Lionsgate’s earliest and helped put the studio on the map and build its reputation as a haven for films deemed too controversial for the major studios. 

“We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in at statement to Deadline. “Luca is a brilliant artist, and the perfect visionary to create a whole new interpretation of this potent and classic IP.”

This will not be Guadagnino’s first time putting his signature sensualist spin on a horror classic; he previously made 2018’s “Suspiria,” a loose remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 film of the same name. His other films include the Academy Award-nominated drama “Call Me By Your Name” and the cannibal horror film “Bones and All.” He has two films in the Oscars conversation this year, the psychosexual tennis drama “Challengers” and the historical romance drama “Queer,” which opens in theaters next month. After that, he has a thriller called “After the Hunt” starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield, which is in post-production now. 

“American Psycho” was also adapted into a stage musical, which earned two Tony Award nominations for its Broadway run in 2016.