Image Credit: Kerry HayesAmerican Psycho — the culty 2000 thriller starring Christian Bale as a wealthy, murderous New York investment banker who’s secretly, and increasingly, crazy — is stalking the Great White Way. That’s right: The axe-wielding Patrick Bateman is planning to give that demon barber Sweeney Todd a run for his money as the headliner of Broadway’s bloodiest show, according to the New York Post. Duncan Shiek, who’s famous for the 1996 single “Barely Breathing” as well as writing the Tony- and Grammy-winning score of stage hit Spring Awakening, is penning the tunes, and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is writing the book. Aguirre-Sacasa assures that the show — he’s gone one act done, and the rest is set to be finished early next year — will be just as gory as the movie. “There are murders, and they are on stage in full view of the audience,” he told the Post. “An ax and a chef’s knife will be used. I think there’s going to be a lot of blood.” In addition to the gore, the playwright says he hopes to include scenes like the well-remembered sequence where Bale’s Bateman sizes up and fetishes his friends business cards at a swanky Upper East Side apartment. Shiek summed it all up by saying, “Obviously, it’s not for the people who want to see Elf.”
Are you all excited to see American Psycho liiiiiive? Stoked for Broadway to get a little gorier? And are you hoping Shiek can somehow work in some Huey Lewis and the News into the stage version of this scene?
Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky
More on American Psycho:
EW’s F-grade book review of ‘American Psycho’
EW’s A-minus-grade movie review of ‘American Psycho’
The ‘American Psycho’ controversy
This is just crazy enough to work, and I LOVE the Sweeney Todd comparison.
Hopefully the nude chainsaw scene will end up being a rocking number!
Fun fact: Patrick Bateman is the older brother of The Rules of Attraction’s Sean Bateman, played by James van der Beek. And that’s the more you know.
Ewwwww. A musical? Really?!?
puh-leeze that movie barely had any gore. if any at all!
Check out the unrated version.
Check out the book.
I’m wondering if they can incorporate Huey Lewis and the news. That scene was epic.
The business cards were fetishized in a boardroom I believe. I would totally see this.
I am waiting for the all singing , all dancing version of The Human Centipede .
You want to bite me? Bite my boots!
Have you people not seen Sweeny Todd?
Well, it worked for Little Shop of Horrors, Three Penny Opera, and Sweeny Todd?