The idea of a remake to one of the most influential films of all-time usually has the fans up in arms and itching to be taken off the leash. The film in question is Brian De Palma’s SCARFACE, which itself was a remake of the 1932 classic starring Paul Muni albeit updated to reflect the changing times where one individuals power hungry excess eventually leads to his violent downfall. Al Pacino’s performance as Tony Montana is now as iconic as the man himself (I myself even have a pair of Nike trainers sporting his image) and today’s announcement that David Ayer will be writing the screenplay should give fans hope that all is not lost.
Ayer, who seems to specialise in complex characters with a deep destructive nature gave us the screenplays for TRAINING DAY, S.W.A.T., and the cruelly overlooked DARK BLUE featuring a career best turn by Kurt Russell. He also wrote and directed HARSH TIMES with Christian Bale as well as the Keanu Reeves action-thriller STREET KINGS. He has just completed writing and directing duties on Jake Gyllenhaal/Michael Pena cop thriller END OF WATCH which is due for release next year.
Speaking about what he intends to do in terms of ideas for SCARFACE and what fans can expect, Ayer stated:-
This is a fantasy for me, I can still remember when I saw the film at 13 and it blew my mind, I sought it out; I went after it hard. I see it as the story of the American dream, with a character whose moral compass points in a different direction. That puts it right in my wheelhouse. I studied both the original Ben Hecht-Howard Hawks movie and the DePalma-Pacino version and found some universal themes. I’m still under the hood figuring out the wiring that will translate, but both films had a specificity of place, there was unapologetic violence, and a main character who socially scared the shit out of people, but who had his own moral code. Each was faithful to the underworld of its time. There are enough opportunities in the real world today that provide an opportunity to do this right. If it was just an attempt to remake the 1983 film, that would never work.
Source: Deadline
