From Doctor to Psycho: Matt Smith appears bloodied on stage as he takes on American Psycho
HE MIGHT have been playing the hugely popular Doctor Who for the past couple of years, but it looks as though Matt Smith's latest character might be a little less likeable for fans.
The star - who will leave his role as the Time Lord at Christmas - has taken on the role of Patrick Bateman in the musical adaptation of cult novel American Psycho, and in these latest pictures, it seems as though he's certainly delved right into the character.
Covered in blood and welding an axe in the air, the star looks truly terrifying as the Wall Street yuppie with a penchant for both designer clothing and brutal decapitation.
The much-anticipated stage adaptation is set to make its opening at the Almeida Theatre on Friday December 13, and the original author Bret Easton Ellis is said to be happy with the casting of Smith as the main character.
"Happy about Matt Smith in AMERICAN PSYCHO" THE MUSICAL but I also liked the idea of runner-up Andrew Rannells in the role. Maybe Broadway…" he wrote on Twitter.
Christian Bale became best-known for the role after his portrayal of the sadistic character in the 1999 film adaptation which co-starred Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Willem Dafoe and Chloe Sevigny.
However, Ellis wasn't sure the cinematic adaptation was necessary.
"American Psycho was a book I didn’t think needed to be turned into a movie," he said in 2010.
"It was conceived as a novel, as a literary work with a very unreliable narrator at the centre of it and the medium of film demands answers.
"I don’t think American Psycho is particularly more interesting if you knew that he did it or think that it all happens in his head. I think the answer to that question makes the book infinitely less interesting."
Music is a fundamental part of the book, and subsequent movie, which often soundtracks Bateman's slaughter of his friends and random victims, so the stage adaption should be in good hands with Sheik, the composer of award-winning rock musical Spring Awakening.
Ben Aldridge, Charlie Anson and Jonathan Baily join the cast as Bateman's associates Paul Owen, Craig McDermott and Tim Price at the investment banking firm Pierce & Pierce.
Katie Brayben stars as Courtney Lawrence, Cassandra Compton as Patrick's assistant Jean and Susannah Fielding as Evelyn Williams, his girlfriend.
The musical opens to the the public on Friday 13 December, at the Almeida Theatre.