When Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho was published in 1991, it became a bestseller, and the film rights were acquired less than a year after the book’s release.
The main character was eventually played by Christian Bale, but he only got into the project by miracle – the studio wanted to see Leonardo DiCaprio.
After the film rights were purchased, the project was in limbo for several years. As a result, Mary Harron, a representative of independent cinema, was chosen as director. And Christian Bale was appointed to play the main role, investment banker and murderer Patrick Bateman. However, when Lionsgate studio joined the production, the producers decided that they needed a bigger name on the posters.
When the search for a new star began, Lionsgate decided to turn to Leonardo DiCaprio, who had recently finished filming Titanic and became the main movie star of the time. The actor was offered $20 million for his role in the film. Leo was interested, but Harron thought the actor was the wrong type for the role and believed that if he played the lead, the film would have “the wrong audience,” an apparent reference to enthusiastic female fans.