Sometimes you wonder who movie producers/studios are trying to kid. Deadline reports that Universal Pictures is readying a new version of Scarface, but is keen to point out that it isn’t intended to be a remake or a sequel. Well then, what the hell is the point of calling the film Scarface, if it’s not a remake or a sequel?
Presumably what they’re trying to get across, is that while it will indeed be a remake, that in the same way the 1983 version took the basic gangster elements of the 1932 original and gave them an utterly different spin, the 2010s edition will change things once more. By saying it’s not a remake or seuqel early on, they’re hoping to get round the purists who’ll decry any fiddling with a classic – even if the Pacino Scarface is one of the few time a remake has become as much of a classic as the original.
The studio is currently seeking out writers for a new take. The original Scarface featured Paul Muni’s Tony Camonte as an Italian immigrant who rises through the ranks of the Chicago criminal underworld, while the remake featured Al Pacino’s Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who went from rags to riches by muscling in on the Miami cocaine trade. Who knows where the next Scar face will come from?
It’s early days though, so don’t expect Scarface Mark III for a while yet.