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Austin Butler is looking to get a little crazy in Luca Guadagnino’s “American Psycho” remake.

Butler, who has made his career working with auteurs such as Baz Luhrmann, Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, Darren Aronofsky, and Jeff Nichols, might have his Guadagnino debut with the upcoming feature. Variety reported that Butler is in talks to star as the iconic Patrick Bateman in Guadagnino’s reimagining of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel.

IndieWire has learned that there are no casting deals are in place, however.

The Lionsgate film was announced earlier this year, with Scott Z. Burns adapting the novel for the screen.

Christian Bale led the original 2000 film alongside Guadagnino’s frequent collaborator Chloë Sevigny; Mary Harron co-wrote and directed the classic feature. Guadagnino’s version will not be a remake of Harron’s but rather a new adaptation of Ellis’ book.

Butler has a busy slate, with upcoming features also...

Thanks to Luca Guadagnino, Patrick Bateman will be back.

The auteur is in final negotiations with Lionsgate for a new interpretation of iconic novel “American Psycho,” the studio announced Friday, October 18. The Bret Easton Ellis book was first brought to the screen in 2000. Christian Bale led the original film alongside Guadagnino’s frequent collaborator Chloë Sevigny.

Scott Z. Burns will adapt Ellis’ novel. Rather than a remake of the 2000 feature, Burns’ screenplay will be a new adaptation of the IP. Mary Harron directed the original film from a screenplay by Harron and Guinevere Turner.

Guadagnino’s iteration of “American Psycho” will be produced by Frenesy Films and executive produced by Pressman Film’s Sam Pressman, the son of Edward R. Pressman, who was a producer of the first adaptation.

“We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said. “Luca is a brilliant artist,...

Joseph Quinn is about to be everywhere. The “Stranger Things” breakout star already appeared in “A Quiet Place: Day One” and has been announced as part of Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” alongside fellow “Gladiator II” star Pedro Pascal. Now, he’ll be in theaters soon with the award-winning indie film “Hoard.”

Quinn stars as a mysterious stranger who crosses paths with a young woman (Saura Lightfoot-Leon) 10 years after she experienced a traumatic moment with her mother, whose obsessive hoarding threatened both of their lives.

The official synopsis reads: “‘Hoard’ film follows young girl Maria (Lily-Beau Leach) living in London in 1984 as she navigates her mother’s obsessive hoarding. One night, their world falls apart, and we join Maria a decade later, living with her foster mother. Flashing forward to the girl’s teenage years, she (Lightfoot-Leon) must confront the madness and trauma of her late mother when a stranger (Quinn) arrives on her doorstep.

Bret Easton Ellis, the writer behind the infamous novel "American Psycho," is gearing up to make his directorial debut — and he's making a horror movie. Variety broke the news about Ellis' debut — titled "Relapse" — describing the project as an "elevated horror film," a turn of phrase that always rubs me the wrong way, but sure, let's move on. Joseph Quinn, who broke out in a big way playing Eddie Munson on "Stranger Things," will star in "Relapse" as Matt Cullen, a man "who checks into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a debauched party. Three months later, he is set to get his life back together, staying at his parent's mansion in the hills of Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off balance."

The full synopsis continues: "Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt's paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program.

Bret Easton Ellis has written the novels that have inspired such films as Less Than Zero, American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction, and The Informers, and has written the screenplays for The Canyons, The Curse of Downers Grove, and Smiley Face Killers. Now he’s set to make his feature directorial debut with the horror film Relapse – and Joseph Quinn, who played a fan favorite character in season 4 of the Netflix series Stranger Things and will be seen in the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One, has signed on to star in the film!

Quinn’s Relapse character is Matt Cullen, who checks into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a drugged-up party. Three months later, he is set to get his life back together, staying at his parent’s mansion in the hills of Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off balance. Fueled...

Bret Easton Ellis, author of American Psycho, is turning his hand to filmmaking with his directorial debut Relapse – a monster movie and “elevated horror.”

The gorier excesses of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel American Psycho were tamed by director Mary Harron in 1999, with a star-making turn by Christian Bale as the sociopathic Wall Street exec, Patrick Bateman.

Almost 40 years into his literary career, Ellis is himself turning his hand to directing, with his debut being Relapse – an “elevated horror film” which will star Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn.

Elsewhere in Variety’s exclusive, the project is described as a “monster movie” albeit one set in the milieu long favoured by Ellis in his earlier work – among the rich, young and picturesque elites of Los Angeles. Here’s a synopsis:

“Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program.

Bret Easton Ellis is finally taking a seat in the director’s chair.

After his slated feature directorial debut “The Deleted” was pivoted into a web series on the since-defunct social platform Fullscreen, famed author and screenwriter Ellis will direct horror film “Relapse.” Ellis penned the script about a man (played by “Stranger Things” breakout Joseph Quinn) who witnesses a brutal death during a drug party and is thrust into an unsteady existential crisis upon entering rehab. Variety first reported the news of the project.

The film’s official synopsis reads: “Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt Cullen’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program. As he starts using again, a mysterious presence starts growing around Matt, and a monster that has been haunting him since he was a teenager reveals itself. His therapist tries to help, convinced that the monster...

Subversive American author Bret Easton Ellis is set to make his directorial debut with “Relapse,” an elevated horror film he wrote starring “Stranger Things” breakout Joseph Quinn.

Paris-based Snd has boarded the project as producer, alongside Adrian Guerra’s Nostromo (“Penny Dreadful”) and Simon Wallon’s Kiss & Kill (“Bonnie”). Snd will handle worldwide sales on “Relapse,” as well as French distribution, and will tease the title at the EFM with an exclusive sizzle reel.

Quinn, who will next be seen in “A Quiet Place: Day One” and the “Gladiator” sequel, will star in “Relapse” as Matt Cullen, who checks into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a drugged-up party. Three months later, he is set to get his life back together, staying at his parent’s mansion in the hills of Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off balance.

“Fueled by his unstable...

Stars: Jackie Chan, John Cena, Chunrui Ma, Pilou Asbæk, Amadeus Serafini | Written by Arash Amel | Directed by Scott Waugh

Despite co-starring Jackie Chan and John Cena and costing $80,000,000 Hidden Strike, originally titled Project X-Traction, has sat on a shelf for five years before just now turning up on Netflix. That raises more than a few questions about its quality because you don’t sit on something like that without a reason. Usually a very good reason.

Set sometime in “the near future” a Chinese-owned refinery in Iraq is under attack by unnamed rebel forces. A team of mercenaries under the command of Luo Feng is sent in to evacuate all 498 employees, including his estranged daughter Mei, down the Highway of Death to the safety of Baghdad Green Zone.

Elsewhere, Chris Van Horne an ex-Marine who remained in Iraq after the war needs money to repair the water system for the village he lives in.

The American Psycho episode of Wtf Happened to This Adaptation? was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian. Here is the text of Hatfield’s script:

Horror can take many forms and its high time we talked about something firmly in the psychological realm. Author Brett Easton Ellis is known to broach subjects that are uncomfortable or outright horrifying, but it is with his 3rd book that he went for the throat so to speak and tackle a more traditional genre topic in a thoroughly nontraditional way. American Psycho was quite controversial upon its release in 1991 and the film based on it in 2000 (watch it Here) was divisive then and it’s divisive now.

Take a look at the craftsmanship on that card as we find out what the f*ck happened to this adaptation.

We interviewed this celebrity because we think you'll like their picks. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. You may know Ronen Rubinstein from his role as T.K. in 9-1-1: Lone Star, but did you know he is also an activist, environmentalist and a passionate Kobe Bryant fan? Since Ronen wears so many hats, we were curious about the things he takes with him on the go. From vintage hats to alkaline water and vinyls that give back, the Smiley Face Killers star has his priorities straight. For all the things Ronen can't live without, scroll below! Up next: Original...

And just like that – here comes spring. Amazon Prime‘s list of new releases for April 2021 isn’t as cheery as one would expect from the sunny season. But perhaps that’s by design – you should be outside anyway!

Amazon’s most prominent original series for April 2021 is undoubtedly Them from multi-hyphenate Lena Waithe. This horror anthology’s first season, subtitled “Covenant”, will center on a Black family in the 1950s who move from North Carolina to a white neighborhood in Los Angeles. It premieres on April 9. Given its name and premise, Them is drawing some (largely joke-y) comparisons to Jordan Peele’s Us on social media. But hey, the world could always use some more Us.

Read more TV Does the Latest Lord of the Rings Amazon Series Cast Exit Signal Trouble? By Joseph Baxter TV New On Amazon Prime Video UK March 2021: Invincible, Coming 2 America and More!

New Indie

The critically-acclaimed “Aviva” (Outsider/Strand) casts both male and female dancers as both of the romantic leads, throwing out conventions of gender and sexuality in a love story that features some gorgeous choreography. Boaz Yakin’s film was programmed at the 2020 SXSW festival, and the Blu-ray features behind-the-scenes footage of dance rehearsals.

Also available: Stand-up Steve Byrne wrote and directed the comics-on-the-road saga “The Opening Act” (Rlje Films), featuring such industry vets as Jimmy O. Yang, Alex Moffat, Cedric the Entertainer, Bill Burr, and Whitney Cummings; “Buddy Games” (Saban/Paramount) stars Josh Duhamel and Dax Shepard in an ensemble comedy about estranged friends enduring a ridiculous competition for a $150,000 prize; a newly sober carpenter tries to build a home and establish a life in “Major Arcana” (Gde/Kino Lorber).

New Foreign

Melina León’s Cannes fave “Song Without a Name” (Film Movement), about an indigenous woman trying to...

American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis has a new film out, and it's based on a true story - or at least a highly covered fringe theory. The horror flick Smiley Face Killers follows a college student (Ronen Rubinstein) who is stalked by an unknown hooded figure (Crispin Glover) as a series of young men mysteriously drown in his region. The film takes inspiration from the smiley face murder theory developed by retired New York City detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte as well as criminal justice professor Lee Gilbertson. The theory purports that a series of deaths ruled as accidental or undetermined drownings were actually murders committed by a group of serial killers. Many experts have expressed skepticism toward this theory, but let's break down how it emerged and what evidence exists for it.

For Gannon, the theory started with the 1997 death of Patrick McNeill, a Fordham University student...

For this Tuesday, we don’t have a ton of Blu-ray and DVD releases on tap this week, but we do have some incredible titles coming out, once again proving that it’s quality over quantity. If you haven’t had a chance to see it just yet, Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor Uncut arrives on Tuesday on multiple formats, and coincidentally enough, Total Recall is getting a 30th anniversary 4K release this week, too, and the films pair extremely well for a double feature.

Other films headed home on December 8th include She Dies Tomorrow, Smiley Face Killers, a 2-Disc Special Edition release for Versus from Ryûhei Kitamura, Black Pumpkin, The Facility, and Sympathy.

Possessor Uncut

From the visionary mind of writer/director Brandon Cronenberg, Possessor is an arresting sci-fi thriller about elite corporate assassin Tasya Vos. Using brain-implant technology, Vos takes control of other people s bodies to execute high-profile targets.

Just because December is a time to celebrate festive movies, that doesn’t mean horror needs to take a back seat, and this month will be full of new genre offerings for fans to dig into.

Already available is Icelandic vampire film Thirst, where an addict accused of murdering her brother turns to an ancient vampire to bring him back, and Anything for Jackson, which sees an elderly couple kidnap a young pregnant woman to fuse the spirit of their dead grandson with the unborn child.

Out today, meanwhile, is Freaky – on VOD, at least, as it had a very limited theatrical run last month – a horror comedy where a high school girl and a serial killer swap bodies, Castle Freak, which follows a young woman who inherits a creepy old castle with connections to an ancient cult worshipping alien deities, What Lies Below, where a teenage girl comes to...

Stars: Ronin Rubinstein, Mia Serafino, Crispin Glover, Garrett Coffey | Written by Bret Easton Ellis | Directed by Tim Hunter

Q: Rules of Attraction, American Psycho and Smiley Face Killers… What do these three movies have in common?

A: All 3 were written by the awesome Brett Easton Ellis!

Q: Which is the odd one out? (Answer at the end of this review)

Smiley Face Killers. A movie that snuck up on me for sure but to see a “Produced and Written by Brett Easton Ellis” strapline on the marketing materials, well that hooked me in for sure. As a huge American Psycho and Rules of Attraction fan (Which did you prefer? Have to admit I’m more of a Rules fan) well I was mega interested in what Ellis had to offer in 2020…. Let’s do this. Smiley Face Killers you’re up…

Piss poorly written, ridiculously handsome and underdeveloped – character wise,...

From novelist Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho) and director Tim Hunter (River’s Edge) comes the thriller Smiley Face Killers, which will be slashing its way onto Digital and On Demand December 4, and available on Blu-ray™ and DVD December 8 from Lionsgate. Inspired by true events and the twisted “smiley face killers” conspiracy theory that has gripped the American imagination for decades, […]...

After participating in the Nightstream virtual film festival, Popcorn Frights co-founders Igor Shteyrenberg and Marc Ferman kept the horror spirit alive and well in Florida throughout the end of October with the virtual Wicked Weekend Halloween celebration!

Popcorn Frights' Wicked Weekend featured an eclectic 20+ film lineup headlined by the world premiere of Lionsgate's Smiley Face Killers, and following the conclusion of the event, it's been announced that Keith Thomas' The Vigil has won the Audience Award, with Tales of the Uncanny earning the Audience Award Runner Up title.

Even though Wicked Weekend may be over, you can watch the Q&a sessions with the filmmakers and actors behind some of the films that screened at the virtual event on Popcorn Frights' YouTube channel, including a conversation with Smiley Face Killers co-stars Crispin Glover, Mia Serafino, and Ronen Rubinstein, which I was honored to moderate (and which you can watch...

One of the five film festivals that took part in the ambitious Nightstream film festival, Popcorn Frights has an extra treat in store for Florida horror fans this October with their Wicked Weekend virtual event!

Taking place October 29th–November 1st, Popcorn Frights' Wicked Weekend includes an eclectic 20+ film lineup headlined by the world premiere of Smiley Face Killers, a Tracking Terror panel with Graham Reznick and Steve Moore, and a conversation with Tibor Takács about his cult 1987 film The Gate.

In the charitable spirit of Nightstream, proceeds from Wicked Weekend will help out the one-of-a-kind independent theater where Popcorn Frights usually takes place. Since this is a special treat for Florida horror fans, all film screenings will be geo-locked to the Sunshine State, with the amazing team behind Popcorn Frights continuing to keep horror alive and well in the region.

We have the official press release with more details on Wicked Weekend below,...

From novelist Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho) and director Tim Hunter (River’s Edge) comes the terrifying thriller Smiley Face Killers, slashing its way onto Digital and On Demand, and available to own on Blu-ray™ and DVD December 8 from Lionsgate. Inspired by true events and the twisted “smiley face killers” conspiracy theory that has gripped …

The post Crispin Glover and Ronen Rubinstein Star in Smiley Face Killers appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

From novelist Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho) and director Tim Hunter (River’s Edge), the serial killer thriller Smiley Face Killers (trailer) will be slashing its way onto Digital, On Demand, Blu-ray and DVD on December 8th from Lionsgate, and today we’ve got our first good look at Crispin Glover in the film courtesy of makeup effects artist Vincent Guastini. […]...

From novelist Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho) and director Tim Hunter (River’s Edge) comes the terrifying thriller Smiley Face Killers, slashing its way onto Digital and On Demand, and available to own on Blu-ray and DVD December 8 from Lionsgate.

Inspired by true events and the twisted “smiley face killers” conspiracy theory that has gripped the American imagination for decades, this pulse-pounding serial killer tale reunites acclaimed director Hunter with his River’s Edge star Crispin Glover (Alice in Wonderland), and also stars Ronen Rubinstein (Fox’s “9-1-1: Lone Star”) and Mia Serafino (NBC’s “Crowded”). Check out the trailer:

As a strange wave of mysterious drownings of male college students plagues the California coast, Jake Graham (Rubinstein) struggles to keep his life together at school. Finding himself stalked by a hooded figure (Glover) driving an unmarked van, Jake fears he may become the next victim in the killers’ horrific spree.

The...

Bret Easton Ellis gets top billing in the poster for Smiley Face Killers, which claims it is "inspired by true events," yet what primarily grabs my attention is director Tim Hunter. Reuniting with Crispin Glover (from the director's River's Edge) is good -- here he is concealed as a cloaked figure -- and sounds promising, as does the premise that the film is also inspired by "the twisted 'smiley face killers' conspiracy theory that has gripped the American imagination for decades," per the synopsis. Still, director Tim Hunter remains a potent force, as he proved with his somewhat loony, entirely compelling previous feature film, Looking Glass (2018). Here's what I wrote about him in my review at the time: "Director Tim Hunter first came on...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...