Lionsgate has confirmed a prequel to the 2000 film American Psycho is in development. Director Luca Guadagnino plans to explore the origins of Patrick Bateman, with filming potentially starting in late 2025.
Lionsgate's 2025 timeline for the Bateman origin story
Lionsgate has officially shifted the trajectory of the American Psycho franchise by confirming that the upcoming project is a prequel rather than a sequel. According to the report,the film will serve as a direct origin story for Patrick Bateman, the narcissistic investment banker whose descent into violence defined the original 2000 cinematic adaptation.
The production window is already beginning to take shape, with Luca Guadagnino aiming to begin principal photography by the end of 2025. as the report notes, Guadagnino is currently in the process of refining the script to ensure the narrative effectively bridges the gap between Bateman's early life and the established events of the first film.
Luca Guadagnino's psychological lens from Suspiria to Psycho
The selection of Luca Guadagnino as director suggests a pivot toward a more atmospheric and psychologically dense exploration of the character. Guadagnino has built a reputation for visually arresting cineema that probes the complexities of human desire and instability, as seen in his work on Call Me by Your Name and the visceral horror of Suspiria. His penchant for stylized aesthetics makes him a logical choice to recreate the high-gloss, superficial world that Patrick Bateman inhabits.
This prequel represents a significant narrative shift because the original source material was anchored in the specific corporate greed and excess of the 1980s . By moving the timeline back, the filmmakers can examine the formative years that created Bateman's fractured psyche. This allows the production to explore whether the character's pathology was an inevitable result of his environment or a gradual erosion of his humanity.
Why Drew Starkey is the front-runner for the lead
While Lionsgate has not officially announced the casting, Drew Starkey has emerged as the primary candidate to step into the role of Patrick Bateman. Starkey gained widespread recognition for his potrayal of Rafe Cameron in the series Outer Banks, a role that required a similar blend of privileged entitlement and volatile instability .
The synergy between the director and the actor is a key driver of this rumor, as Drew Starkey recently collaborated with Luca Guadagnino on the film Queer. This existing professional relationship suggests that Guadagnino may already have a clear vision of how Starkey's screen presence can emulate the "mask of sanity" that made the original portrayal of Patrick Bateman so unsettling.
The missing confirmation on the final cast and script
Despite the momentum, several critical details remain unverified. The most prominent is the official casting list; while Drew Starkey is the rumored front-runner, Lionsgate has yet to issue a formal confirmation. It remains unclear if other supporting characters from the 2000 film will appear in younger iterations or if the prequel will introduce an entirely new ensemble of social climbers.
Furthermore, the specific plot points of the script remain under wraps. Because the report only presents the studio's and director's perspective, it is unknown how the filmmakers intend to handle the ambiguity of the original film's ending—specifically whether this prequel treats the events of the first movie as objective reality or as part of Bateman's internal delusions.
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