Fans think they know who will play Patrick Bateman in new American Psycho movie as director is announced

As the director of new American Psycho film is announced as Queer's Luca Guadagnino, fans have begun speculating over who will play the leading role.

According to Deadline, the director is said to be in final negotiations for the new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 horror novel.

The groundbreaking book gave birth to iconic villain - and halloween costume inspiration - Patrick Bateman, a Manhattan investment banker who lives a double life as a serial killer.

A film adaptation starring Christian Bale was released in 2000 and received mostly positive reviews, with The New York Times calling it a 'mean and lean horror comedy classic.'

Scott Z. Burns will pen the new Lionsgate film, which will executive produced by Sam Pressman, the son of Edward R Pressman, the producer of the original movie.

Luca Guadagnino has been announced as the director for the upcoming adaptation of American Psycho (John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI)

While fans of the 2000 flick have criticised the announcement of a new adaptation, calling it 'pointless,' sources say that rather than a remake, Guadagnino’s film will be a new adaptation of Ellis’ novel.

"We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate," said Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

"Luca is a brilliant artist, and the perfect visionary to create a whole new interpretation of this potent and classic IP."

Guadagnino’s most recent film, Challengers, was a hit at the box office, bringing in $94.2 million (£72.2 million).

His previous work includes I Am Love, Suspiria, Bones and All, A Bigger Splash and Call Me By Your Name.

And now American Psycho has a director, people are already picking who they want to play the lead

When FilmUpdates asked X (formerly Twitter) users to choose their Patrick Bateman, users suggested the likes of Austin Butler, Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.

Fans think Australian actor Jacob Elordi will be chosen to play Patrick Bateman (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

But, there was one name that was mentioned far more often than the rest - Jacob Elordi.

One user replied: "100% gonna be Jacob Elordi."

Another posted a picture of the Aussie actor with Guadagnino and captioned it: "It begins."

And a third wrote: "Everyone knows he's going to 100% cast Jacob Elordi."

The 27-year-old has already shown he has the acting chops starring as the King himself, Elvis Presley, in the 2023 film Priscilla.

But diehard fans of the original still think the only person fit for the role is Christian Bale.

One person said: "The performance of Christian Bale was unparalleled," while another penned: "It will be tough to beat Bale in this role."