‘American Psycho’ Is Getting the Comic Book Treatment!!

A new comic based on Christian Bale’s iconic madman Patrick Bateman from the cult classic American Psycho will soon get a comic book adaptation, Deadline has revealed. LA-based comic book publisher Sumerian has acquired the rights from movie producer Pressman Films and original novelist Bret Easton Ellis, the deal also includes the rights to use Bale’s likeness.

What’s the American Psycho Comic Book About?

The four-issue comic run, created as a sequel to the original 2000 film, will have two narratives, one showing Bateman’s killing spree “with a twist” from a different perspective and another revealing a contemporary arc with “connections to the past.” The story will also introduce a new psychopath, a millennial female character, Charlie (Charlene) Carruthers who goes on a downward spiral and when drug-fueled parties lead to bloodshed, she “leaves a trail of bodies on her way to discovering the truth about her dark nature.”

The new run comes from Quested scribe Michael Calero who penned the story while the art is by The Witcher‘s Piotr Kowalski and it’s colored by Brad Simpson (Kong of Skull Island). The accompanying two new covers are pretty interesting, one sees Bateman with a knife in his hand as a person behind him looks at him through a camera. Another cover, a more abstract one, sees a women’s black and red stilettos as she drags a blood-soaked axe. The covers with their muted colors and shadow work, add to the intrigue with the noir inspiration.

The cult classic feature directed by Mary Harron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner saw Bale as Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer. The movie seamlessly blended horror with satire to comment on consumerism and 80’s ‘young urban profession’ culture aka the yuppies. With strong performances from Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon, and more, the movie was considered a box office bomb but certainly found its audience over the years getting the status of a cult classic.