Luca Guadagnino boards Universal’s Scarface reboot as its latest director

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Gas up your chainsaw, load up your little friend, and clear your snoot for a mountain of snow, because Universal has set CALL ME BY YOUR NAME director Luca Guadagnino as the latest filmmaker to tackle the studio's upcoming re-imagining of SCARFACE.

As you're likely to have heard, Universal's SCARFACE reboot has been in the works for an impressive amount of time. Since 2011 to be precise, with talents the likes of David Ayer and Antoine Fuqua both having been attached as directors at different points in the project's development.

The story of Tony Montana, aka Scarface, has been adapted into a feature film twice before, with the first arriving in 1932 under the direction of Howard Hawks. The second, directed by Brian De Palma, made its theatrical debut in 1983. The latter of the two starred Al Pacino as Montana for what many would say is the crown jewel of the actor's long-standing career. In De Palma's version, Montana placed a stranglehold on the 1980s cocaine trade, only to eventually be undone by his own mad rise to power.

When the new SCARFACE lifts its head from a heaping pile of China White, the movie will take place in Los Angeles. In terms of scripting, Guadagnino's version is said to be working from a script penned by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, who've been attached to the project for upward of three years. Previously, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Jonathan Herman and Paul Attanasio all contributed early drafts of the iconic crime story. Meanwhile, Dylan Clark will produce via Dylan Clark Productions, with Scott Stuber executive producing alongside Marco Marabito. Brian Williams will also serve as an executive producer courtesy of Dylan Clark Productions.

Is the world truly ready for a reboot of SCARFACE? For me, De Palma's version is neigh untouchable, though I suppose that a passing of the torch could bring new and exciting angles to Montana's legendary tale of terror, drugs, and two-faced associates. Sound off in the comments section below and let us know if you're down for a new version of SCARFACE.