Really? They might remake American Psycho?

Q: Why does Hollywood outthink itself?

A: Millions and millions of dollars.

(Authors note: Let me see how many clichés I can write into this piece… and see if you can come up with a concept on why I am doing so.) 

What ever happened to the theory "If it's not broke, don't fix it"? I really wish Hollywood executives would go back and think about that statement before making decisions. If it were not for the shitload of cash Hollywood gains from awful sequels and remakes, we would not even be having this discussion. When it comes to entertainment, Hollywood just will not leave well enough alone.

If a movie is successful, they must continue to milk the perpetual cash cow until it is bled dry. But, then there are rare situations where the sequel is actually great which is what happened with The Godfather. But, then they had to go to the well once too often with the production of Godfather 3. Some people just do not know when to quit, which is the case with the “Silver Screen.” Or now with the possibility of American Psycho being remade, an idea that has come up in recent days…

One problem I have with remakes in particular is that how do you replace/reinvent such iconic characters? Actors in all of their false sophistication talk about how they give their own interpretations or adaptations to roles, but in reality they are just trying to duplicate the original masterpiece… usually with horrific results. Could you picture anyone besides Anthony Hopkins playing “Hannibal Lector”? No you cannot, because Hopkins made that role what it is… Hopkins made Hannibal Lector an icon. 

The same goes for the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho that was portrayed by Christian Bale. Bateman was a sophisticated psychopath which is not a far stretch for Bale, who is a complete neurotic. His rant on the set of “Terminator: Salvation” is a classic example that he was a perfect fit to play the role of Bateman. Bale embodied the role of Bateman just as Hopkins embodied Lector.

Often in remakes, the producers will bring a cast member(s) from the original movie to make a cameo appearance to tie the two films together. In the case of a remake of American Psycho, I feel that the cameo appearance should be made by Jared Leto who could reprise his role as Paul Allen which he played in the 2000 version of the picture. (Spoiler alert: in case you have not seen American Psycho) Leto’s character came to a bloody end when Bale’s character bludgeoned him with an ax. My current annoyance with how Leto dresses himself lends itself to this notion or idea I have here. The man maddens me with his bizarre outfits, so the thought of an ax buried into his skull is a pleasing image to me since this is something that we cannot do in reality. (I am not condoning murder with this statement, it is just a figure of speech.) 

Anyone who steps into the role of Bateman in the remake will be considered a failure, as it is nearly impossible to live up to the expectations of duplicating the character in the original. There has been an endorsement from Bret Easton Ellis who penned American Psycho, for Scott Disick to possibly star in the remake (http://huff.to/t1R3qK). Now, Mr. Disick is not an actor even though he is associated and best known for having a part in a television show. His role on television is as a reality star with the majority of his appearances alongside of the Kardashians as he is romantically involved with one of the sisters, Kourtney Kardashian. 

Aesthetically, Disick is a perfect match physically (See pictures below)… He looks almost identical to the Bateman character. But, Bale is a “Method Actor”, he most likely lived that character leading up to and while playing Bateman, a character that was based on the personality of a narcissistic, shallow, materialistic yuppie that works on Wall Street… who happens to be a psychopath. Which is not to say that Scott would not be perfect for the role attitude wise as well? The characteristics that describe Bateman are how some might describe Disick? The problem here is that Scott's attitude is allegedly like that in everyday life. Would he essentially be playing himself? Acting is not an easy task no matter how much I mock it. Would he be able to translate that onto the big screen while playing someone else? Would he try too hard to take the iconic character over the top? If he was able to simply be himself and make it look effortless… he might actually nail the role. 

Moving on from the characters, in American Psycho, Bateman often goes through a whole dissertation on pop music before he goes into his psychopathic rages, both sexual and homicidal. I get that… modern pop music of today is equally as bad as what was displayed in the 1980’s, some things will never change. Actually, some of the top 40 crap that is pawned off as music today metaphorically sends me into caustic fits of rage. It would be easy to transition modern pop music into a remake of this film, even if it was to be set in present-day. I can just picture it… Bateman giving a verbal thesis on how “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5 is a contemporary masterpiece right before brutally killing someone. Also, society is fueled by sex and violence which the story definitely offers… more so in the book then the original film, so I can see Hollywood expanding on that portion for a remake as well.

American Psycho is barely over a decade old; it is a great movie in my opinion and does not need to be remade. I do not think that the movie is necessarily old enough that is should be remade? Christian Bale who is the lead actor in the original is still relevant as he currently stars in the newest Batman movies. I feel that a new audience can still connect with the original film even if the movie is new to them. What is happening here is Hollywood is seeing an opportunity to remake and expand on a very good film to cash in on what may be a weak Box-office market. Essentially… it’s an easy payday for Hollywood. If this remake actually happens, it just goes to show that there is a definite lack of creativity in entertainment these days. 

Bale as Bateman

Scott Disick