When you write about Hollywood remakes all day, you tend to get a little tired. How many times will Hollywood make the same stories over and over and over again? It’s becoming a bit much, but thankfully, this particular project is a bit more interesting.
Much like yesterday’s surprising news regarding David Gordon Green and Danny McBride’s upcoming, unexpected Halloween re-imagining, today’s update on the Scarface remake should perk up quite a few ears. That’s because Universal is fast-tracking the retelling with the Coen brothers set to write the screenplay, while David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) and Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day) are in contention to direct.
Congratulations. You have my undivided interest, Universal. Now don’t waste it.
While Brian De Palma’s 1983 crime thriller was, itself, a remake of the 1932 drama of the same name, it’s the one audience typically associate with the title. Al Pacino’s iconic performance is the reason why the poster hangs idly over every college dorm wall, and the quotable, captivating melodramatic ’80s storytelling is what made it a legendary fixture of cinema.
Of course, Universal has tried on several occasions to bring Scarface back to the silver screen, but with no real success. David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Legend of Tarzan), Pablo Larrain (Jackie) and Antoine Fuqua (2016’s The Magnificent Seven) were all attached at several points during these past few years. None of their visions came into actuality, however. That fate might befall Mackenzie and/or Berg as well, but Universal seems more committed than before and it looks like the wheels are really starting to turn now.
The third Scarface is currently slated for August 10th, 2018. It stars Rogue One‘s Diego Luna.