Every couple of years Universal gets it in their mind to do a remake or reimagining of Scarface, the classic gangster tale that already has two unforgettable versions: one by Howard Hawks in 1932, and of course Brian De Palma's Al Pacino-starring take in 1983. Y'know, the one that had all of your friends thinking they were Tony Montana? Anyway, the studio has had names such as David Ayer (Suicide Squad), David Yates (Harry Potter franchise), and Pablo Larrain (The Club) attached at different points with nothing happening. But they're willing to give it another go, and this time with Antoine Fuqua behind the camera.
Deadline reports Fuqua as the latest director to take a crack at Scarface, working from a new script by Jonathan Herman (Straight Outta Compton) that will set the action in modern day Los Angeles, but will retain the immigrant story that was so much a part of the previous film.
On paper Fuqua seems like a perfect choice. He's sort of a mercenary filmmaker who goes and does whatever is needed, but he knows how to make a gritty street tale; just look at his work on Training Day and Brooklyn's Finest as examples. Currently he's gearing up for the release of The Magnificent Seven, which opens next month. It's going to be very interesting to see who they cast to play Tony "Say hello my little friend" Montana. There's a part of me that thinks Fuqua will reach out to Denzel Washington, but that would obviously lead a very different kind of story than the one we are familiar with.
