American Psycho set for remake

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In a move that could trigger the odd axe-murdering spree from fans of the cult original, Lionsgate has given the nod to Noble Jones to pen a remake of 2000’s American Psycho.

The tiny-budget reboot is only in the early stages of development, but we know that the film won’t be set to the backdrop of '80s Wall Street – instead, Jones intends to update the action to modern day New York City.

The original, itself based on Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel, follows the story of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy banker whose slick exterior hides a deranged, monstrous killer, and offers a pitch-black satire on the yuppie milieu of the time.

It memorably starred a heavily Brylcreemed actor called Christian Bale, who is apparently set to star in a new film about fruitbats or somesuch.

Despite finding a huge cult following, American Psycho did relatively poor business at the box office, pulling in just $15 million in the U.S. A woeful straight-to-video sequel in 2002 was notable only for finally pairing up Mila Kunis and William Shatner.

Lionsgate thinks the time is right for a revamp, but with helmer Jones only having second-unit director credits for The Social Network under his belt, will he have the experience to do justice to the source material?