A remake of the classic gangster film Scarface is currently in development at Universal. According to Variety, Luca Guadagnino will direct from a script written by Joel and Ethan Coen. Guadagnino is best known for directing the Oscar-winning Call Me By Your Name in 2017. The Coen Brothers are highly revered directors and writers. They’ve worked on cult classics like The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and the Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men. Although they haven’t directed a theatrical release since 2016’s Hail, Caesar!, they partnered with Netflix for 2018’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Scarface won’t be the first remake Guadagnino has tackled. In 2018, he directed a remake of the classic horror film Suspiria. He is also currently developing a remake of Lord of the Flies for Warner Bros.
The Scarface reboot has been in development limbo stretching all the way back to 2011. Earlier directors attached include David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and Antoine Fuqua (The Magnificent Seven). Earlier writers attached include Jonathan Herman (Straight Outta Compton) and Paul Attanasio (The Good German).
The original Scarface released in 1932 and was an adaptation of Armitage Trail’s novel. However, Briann De Palma remade it in 1983 with Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. That version went on to be one of the most renowned crime movies ever created. It has eclipsed all other versions of the story, so Guadagnino and Universal have their work cut out for them.
It may be some time before we hear more about the project. This announcement brings no word on the cast. Guadagnino will likely finish Lord of the Flies first. Additionally, the 48-year-old Italian filmmaker is wrapping up production on an HBO mini-series, We Are Who We Are. The mini-series will star Alice Braga (the upcoming New Mutants) and Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi (Westworld).
