Variety is reporting tonight that Rogue One‘s Diego Luna will star in the upcoming Scarface remake, which previously had Antoine Fuqua attached to direct. We say ‘previously’ because we’re now hearing that the filmmaker has departed the project. From what we understand, Sony and Denzel Washington are eager to get The Equalizer 2 off the ground and unfortunately, Fuqua won’t have time for Universal’s film anymore, which is certainly a shame.
This shouldn’t cause too much trouble, though, as the studio is already looking for a replacement and is expected to find one quickly, meaning that production won’t be delayed. Furthermore, Terence Winter’s script will still remain in tact, and Marc Shmuger, Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark are all on board in producing roles.
We’ve heard in the past that this new Scarface will be a reimagining of both the 1932 and 1983 versions of the story. However, unlike the Brian De Palma-directed classic, this outing won’t be taking place in Miami. Instead, the action is being moved to Los Angeles where Luna will play a Mexican immigrant who presumably becomes a criminal kingpin. Not much else is known about the plot of the remake at this time, but apparently quite a few changes are being made.
Fuqua’s departure here is certainly disappointing to learn about, as he would’ve brought a much needed sense of gritty realism to the project which could have helped elevate the film into something quite special. After all, we’ve seen so many remakes of 80’s classics completely flop and with a property as beloved as Scarface, whoever ends up getting behind the camera will need to make sure that both the 1932 and 1983 versions are done justice. That won’t be that easy, but at least Luna is a capable enough actor that he should have no problem carrying the movie.
Will he be able to deliver something as memorable as Al Pacino’s iconic performance in the ’83 outing though? Probably not, but we’re certainly intrigued to see how this one develops.