Doing a remake of Scarface would, on paper, seem like blasphemy. This Brian De Palma movie starring Al Pacino was incredibly influential and has never wavered off the pop culture radar in the many years since its release. Of course, that perception likely comes from those unaware that the 1983 Scarface is itself a remake of a 1932 feature of the same name (both are based on the 1929 novel Scarface). Though it may be the most well-known one to modern moviegoers, the Pacino Scarface is already retreading familiar ground. Given that it’s already been remade once before, it may then seem natural rather than heinous to do yet another update on this material. But trying to get a 21st-century Scarface remake has proven enormously challenging, to the point that nobody should be expecting to say hello to this movie or any of its little friends anytime soon.
Universal Originally Pursued a Sequel Called Son of Tony
Universal has spent much of the 21st century obsessed with finding ways to extend the shelf life of the Scarface brand name, with the studio initially pursuing a sequel named Son of Tony. By 2011, those plans had shifted to just doing a whole new take on the Scarface story, with the project not being intended as a straightforward remake of the Brian de Palma movie. At the time, the exact approach of the project, specifically in what ethnicity this Tony Montana would be, was shrouded in mystery, while a screenwriter was not yet attached to the production. Still, Universal was committed to the idea of doing another Scarface movie.
Two years later, the project got a massive jolt of life by getting Harry Potter veteran David Yates in talks to helm the project. This news came at an interesting point in Yates’s career, as it emerged during a multi-month period where it looked like his Legend of Tarzan movie was dead at Warner Bros. With Yates potentially having an opening in his schedule, the director was now being courted to take on Scarface as his first post-Harry Potter feature. This is also when the first reports emerged that the lead actor of Scarface would be Mexican, an indication that Universal wanted to address complaints of Al Pacino playing a Cuban character in the 1983 Scarface.
There was never any further word on Yates directing Scarface, almost certainly because his Legend of Tarzan project came back to life at Warner Bros. by the time September 2013 rolled around. With this prolific filmmaker now busy, Universal would have to turn elsewhere for a director. Interestingly, Yates would finally get to indulge his crime drama urges with the upcoming Emily Blunt vehicle Pain Hustlers for Netflix. There is no word yet if Yates will further nod towards his unrealized Scarface remake by having Blunt’s character say “you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power.”
Pablo Larrain Was the Next, of Many, Set to Direct
The next director to get attached to this vision of Scarface was Pablo Larrain, a bold pick for the project. Whereas Yates was known for massive crowd pleasers, Larrain’s career trajectory circa. 2014 involved only small-scale Chilean dramas. The projects were acclaimed, but they didn’t necessarily suggest much interest or passion in the crime movie genre. Larrain wouldn’t stick around on the project for long, though. While promoting his 2016 movie Jackie, Larrain noted that there wasn’t much drama behind his departure, he and Universal Pictures just realized they had differing visions for where the remake should go.
By August 2016, yet another filmmaker had become attached to this new Scarface update, Antoine Fuqua. Thanks to projects like Training Day, Fuqua was well-versed in crime dramas and seemed like a natural fit for this project. At the very start of 2017, Scarface cast Tony Montana by securing Diego Luna for the role. This would’ve made Scarface his first big star vehicle after Rogue One. Unfortunately, news of Luna’s attachment came with the frustrating setback of losing Fuqua as the film’s director. Universal wasn’t giving up, though, not this time. The studio marched onward and even set up an August 2018 release date for the title.
The reveal of Scarface’s release date coincided with the public unveiling of Joel and Ethan Coen as the production’s screenwriters. Though it may sound inexplicable they'd pen a screenplay for a movie they didn't plan to direct, the duo has done this quite a bit in the last decade. Unbroken and Bridge of Spies, most notably, also featured Coen Brothers scripts but were never even considered directorial efforts for this Oscar-winning pair of auteurs.
Scarface Never Made Its 2018 Release Date
Even with so much big-name talent aboard Scarface and Universal being so determined to get it made, Scarface never made that August 2018 release date. By February 2018, Fuqua was back in the director’s chair of Scarface, while a few months later the director noted that his dream was for Denzel Washington to inhabit the lead role of Scarface. Even with the project having spent so many years now in development, this Scarface remake just wouldn’t die. The allure of the basic story, not to mention Universal executives seeing dollar signs at the prospect of releasing a movie utilizing that familiar brand name, kept it chugging.
No further news emerged on the production following Fuqua signing back on to direct until February 2020 when Luna revealed in an interview that he was no longer signed on to play Tony Montana. A few months later, though, the Scarface remake once again reinforced its resilience by snagging Luca Guadagnino as its director. Thanks to the 2018 Suspiria remake, Guadagnino was no stranger to delivering updates of beloved movies without sacrificing artistry in the process. This project was still planning on utilizing a screenplay by the Coen Brothers and the prospect of those two collaborating with Guadagnino in any capacity was a reason to get excited.
Guadagnino would later explain that his interest in Scarface came from the Tony Montana character while expressing a desire to make the movie extremely modern and worthy of a harsh R-rating. For a moment, it seemed like audiences might get to see Guadagnino’s ambitions for Scarface when a report emerged in early 2021 that the production had received tax credits to film in California. Filming seemed imminent at this moment, but unfortunately, there was never any further progress on this iteration of the remake. Guadagnino is a busy man and he’s opted to focus on shooting movies like Bones and All and Challengers instead.
A Scarface Remake Remains in Limbo
With that, the Scarface remake appears to be in limbo, with there being no recent news to report on the feature (it hasn’t even been confirmed if Guadagnino has left the production). Universal has constantly shown a desire to get off the ground, but the studio’s penchant for also wanting either in-demand genre movie veterans or experienced auteurs to helm the project has led to trouble. The former filmmakers are often incredibly busy, making it difficult to fit Scarface into their schedules. The latter collection of directors, meanwhile, have specific visions for the project that clash with Universal’s very specific idea of what this remake should be.
Perhaps someday audiences will get treated to a new vision of Tony Montana, perhaps even one helmed by somebody like Luca Guadagnino. If the last decade of attempts to realize this film has taught people anything, though, it’s to not hold your breath for such an update to emerge. At this rate, the only 21st-century update on Scarface audiences will have is Michael Bolton’s interpretation of the gangster.
