Ever since Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino signed on in October to remake American Psycho, fans and industry insiders have been casting the role like it’s 1999 all over again. Oscar nominee Austin Butler briefly emerged as a rumored frontrunner, but he was never in serious talks. The name that keeps bubbling up? Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Yes, that Patrick Schwarzenegger, aka Saxon Ratliff.
The White Lotus season-three scene-stealer has not only been name-checked online for the part — he’s endorsed it. “I’d love nothing more,” he posted on X in April, responding to a fan suggestion that he take a stab at the character Christian Bale made famous in the 2000 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling Wall Street slasher novel.
Informed sources tell us Schwarzenegger is very much on the radar of the film’s producers, though some involved in the Lionsgate production fret that he hasn’t yet toplined a major feature. Then again, neither had Bale when he was cast — this was pre-Batman, when his résumé leaned to more art house fare like Velvet Goldmine. That could change soon, with Schwarzenegger joining Margaret Qualley in Love of Your Life, a romantic drama from Amazon MGM Studios. Meanwhile, rumors plant him in the role of Cyclops in Marvel’s planned X-Men reboot, and still others suggest he might team with dad Arnold for a remake of Twins (well, Patrick’s been suggesting it, anyway). In any case, with Guadagnino now sidetracked by other projects — including the Amazon sci-fi flick Artificial — there may be just enough time for Schwarzenegger to prove himself and come back Psycho-ready.
Asked by THR whether American Psycho was on his list of career goals, Schwarzenegger didn’t name the film but did name-drop the director. “What’s on the very top of it is to work with a person like that, like Luca.”
The Clambake’s Off. A Summer Slump in the Hamptons
The good news? There’ll be plenty of legroom on the jitney. The bad? That’s because nobody appears to be renting in the Hamptons this summer.
According to Rambling’s East Coast sources, the usually bustling Long Island clambake enclave — where everyone from Steven Spielberg to Paul McCartney to Brooke Shields owns sprawling properties — is suffering from its sleepiest season in recent memory. Some reports have rentals down as much as 30 percent, even more at the high end in the coveted dunes. Local real estate insiders blame the usual suspect — economic uncertainty — but other factors may be compounding the sluggishness, like fewer European vacationers willing to set foot on U.S. soil (or sand) since Donald Trump returned to office, as well as a lingering chill from the county’s Airbnb crackdown two summers ago (though by now, most rental homes are compliant).
Still, some island brokers insist the season will swing back — provided property owners adjust their expectations from pandemic era rates. “Those homes still sitting on the sidelines are more often than not priced for a market that no longer exists,” notes Rylan Jacka, managing director at The Agency in East Hampton. “Landlords who remain rigid on pricing may find themselves with a beautifully staged rental home — and no one in it.” — NANCY KANE
Beeple’s Trump Taco Too Spicy for Insta
While Trump and Elon Musk were busy trading jabs across Truth Social and X last week in their billionaire slap fest, a weirder, more surrealist skirmish was playing out lower on the feed: Beeple vs. Instagram. The brawl began with the infamous digital artist’s latest post — an eye-catching (and, honestly, kind of stomach-turning) image of a giant, nude Trump with a fully loaded taco where his genitals should be. Within hours, Instagram took down the picture. But it’s the platform’s explanation for the censorship that has Beeple and his 2 million followers scratching their heads.
“They said it violated Instagram’s anti- bullying and harassment policies,” says the artist, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann. “That’s absurd! The idea that my picture could bully President Trump is insane.”
This isn’t the first time Beeple — who, a few years back, famously sold a collection of his NFT art for $69 million at Christie’s — has allegedly bullied a commander in chief. In December, Instagram removed another of his images, this one depicting a naked Joe Biden posing with a machine gun discreetly covering his presidential bits. Same policy violation. Same silence from Meta.
Instagram didn’t respond to Rambling’s request for comment, but odds are this feud will outlast the Trump-Musk one — though the latter still might inspire a future Beeple post. A reconciliation cuddle, perhaps, hopefully not involving tacos.
This story appeared in the June 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.