I’d been pretty apprehensive about the Scarface remake because for some odd reason I can’t divorce myself from the 1983 Al Pacino version. My apprehension is subsiding a bit today as it was announced that David “Training Day” Ayer has taken on the responsibility of writing the contemporary remake and he managed to share his thoughts about this new opportunity for him.
Source: MovieWeb
“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 (Brian) De Palma-(Al) 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.”
I’m actually feeling pretty optimistic about this movie now. I loved the 1983 movie but never saw the original 1930’s edition and as such I had a hard time accepting another approach to this story but Mr. Ayer’s statements are very re-assuring for me. There’s no production schedule set, that I’m aware of, but as soon as more details are available I’ll be sure to share em!
