Update: Sources close to the production just crushed the rumour mill. No female Patrick Bateman remake. It sounds like Luca Guadagnino will stick close to the spirit of the original film.
Original Article: Margot Robbie might be tossing away her pink Barbie heels in exchange for a blood-stained chainsaw. According to The Sun, the Australian actress is reportedly in “advanced discussions” to play a gender-swapped version of Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming American Psycho reboot. Yes, the same Patrick Bateman Christian Bale turned into a business-card-obsessed maniac in the 2000 film. But this time, it’s Margot’s turn to stare dead-eyed into a mirror and recite an unsettling morning routine.
The Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All director is said to be reimagining American Psycho with a sharper focus on the erotica that underpinned Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel, rather than the dark satire that defined the original movie. The script comes from Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Report), and though Guadagnino hasn’t publicly confirmed Robbie’s casting, the internet already has opinions. Lots of them.
According to a film insider quoted by The Sun, “A remake of American Psycho is in the works and Margot is in the frame to play a female version of Patrick Bateman. Bret’s novel and the film were so controversial and the people working on the remake wanted to twist the narrative by having a female actress take on the lead of Bateman.” The source went on to say, “There was a huge backlash about misogyny when the novel came out back in the Nineties. And by having a female killer, it puts a different spin on the crimes.”
It’s not the wildest idea. The 2000 version was directed by Mary Harron, a woman, and it still faced criticism for sexism. Maybe swapping Bateman’s gender finally changes how audiences view Ellis’ social satire.
For context, Robbie already channeled her inner Bateman back in 2016 for a Vogue parody short. Standing in front of a mirror with her best blank stare, she introduced herself: “My name is Margot Robbie. I’m 25 years old. I live in a charming little five-bedroom in Beachwood Canyon.” The clip spoofed Bale’s infamous skincare monologue, except Robbie’s fridge was filled with Vegemite. At the time, it was hilarious. In hindsight, it feels like foreshadowing.
Robbie’s rumored turn as Bateman would come on the heels of her latest project, an R-rated Wuthering Heights remake, directed by Emerald Fennell and co-starring Jacob Elordi. Early test screenings reportedly described the film as “aggressively provocative” (which, honestly, sounds right up Guadagnino’s alley). It’s scheduled for release on February 13, 2026.
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