Kerry Barden on Austin Butler in New American Psycho Film

American Psycho casting director Kerry Barden shared insight into why he thought Austin Butler should not portray the film’s beloved main character Patrick Bateman, in its reimagining.

BREAKING: Austin Butler Will Star in the Remake of American Psycho pic.twitter.com/FI3xnfSh1Z

— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) December 11, 2024

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Barden explained that he has another role in mind for the 33-year-old. “I would cast Austin [Butler] in Jared Leto’s role because he’s that beautiful, and that’s why we cast Jared [Leto],” Barden stated of the 53-year-old actor, who portrayed Bateman’s rival Paul Allen in the 2000 version.

He continued, “Jared [Leto] is certainly a great actor, and Austin [Butler] has a lot of depth as an actor, but not every person has that kind of beauty.” The reimagining, directed by Luca Guadagnino, will be a spin on the classic version and will be released through Lionsgate. 

Christian Bale famously brought Bateman to life in the original version. However, Butler will fill those shoes. For the twentieth anniversary of American Psycho, directors Mary Harron, Bret Easton Ellis, and Bale gave fans an oral history published under MovieMaker. 

During the conversation, Harron admitted Bale’s role almost went to Leonardo DiCaprio but the director later determined he was not the right fit.

“I thought Christian [Bale] was better for it,” she continued. “I also thought my instinct was right on this [since] [DiCaprio] carried enormous baggage because he had just come off Titanic.” 

Harron went on to state that it was hard to turn a beloved actor that was popular with younger viewers into a villainous character. Cooper Koch also expressed interest in taking up the character’s mantle. 

During an October 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter in Los Angeles, Koch claimed he was interested in portraying Bateman after portraying Erik Menéndez in the hit Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. “Luca [Guadagnino] [is] doing American Psycho, so I think I can do Patrick Bateman,” the 28-year-old actor added. “I haven’t played a serial killer yet, so I think I could do it.”

American Psycho REMAKE set to release in 2025 pic.twitter.com/W6knYynQ9O

— juju (@ayeejuju) October 19, 2024

Visit Prime Video to watch American Psycho. The new version is expected to be released by 2026.