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The Coen Brothers Tapped To Polish Script For 'Scarface' Reboot
Joel Coen (left) and Ethan Coen. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
The reboot train keeps rolling. Dune, David Lynch's infamous flop, will get a second life under director Denis Villeneuve. And The Mummy is returning in 2017 (sans Brendan Fraser).
Perhaps one of the more intriguing titles getting a revival will be the upcoming Scarface, partly because of the source material, and partly because of the names attached to the project. Variety reports that the Coen Brothers (Fargo, No Country For Old Men) have been brought in to doctor (i.e. rewrite) the script. It's a scintillating move, as Ethan and Joel Coen are familiar with the themes of greed and malice, and have a history of imbuing violence with an allegorical slant. The Coens are also no stranger to reboots. You may recall the 2010 remake of True Grit, which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (but didn't win any). The movie, rated PG-13, was perhaps a little more subdued than what people had anticipated. So it'll be interesting to see if Scarface will be given free rein to adopt the R rating.
More names: Diego Luna, fresh off his Rogue One effort, is attached to play Scarface. At one point, director Antoine Fuqua (who released the knockout Training Day in 2001, but hasn't reached those heights ever since) was slated to helm the project. He eventually dropped out, however, notes Variety. Does this signify danger for the movie? What with the hiring of script doctors, and the departure of a prominent director? Not necessary; it's reported that Fuqua left only because he and Denzel Washington are trying to churn out a sequel to The Equalizer, and that scheduling conflicts became a major obstacle.
Deadline says that David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) and Peter Berg (Patriots’ Day) are possible replacements—we're definitely more interested in Mackenzie.
Also, the producer of the original film—Martin Bregman—will return in the same sole.
The movie is scheduled for release on August 10, 2018 (though, of course, these things can change).
If you need a reminder of the 1983 movie, here's a (violence-free, but still very profane) clip of Al Pacino being grilled by customs agents. "There's nothing you can do to me, that Castro has not done."
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