Sometimes in the world of remakes and reboots, limbo is more than a dance, it’s a state of mind. Universal’s Scarface reboot is a project that certainly knows that fact more than most, as there’s been a revolving door of release dates and talent that have come in and out of view. But today, a major step forward was taken, as new directing candidate Luca Guadagnino has just filled Scarface 3.0’s vacant director’s chair.
Deadline’s brand new news on the project has Luca Guadagnino, best known for his Oscar-winning work adapting Call Me By Your Name, as well as his most recent remake of Suspiria, is taking his remixing skills to the world of Scarface’s modern Los Angeles. This is the latest in a long line of directors that have been drafted to bring the property alive once again, in a third version to bear the brand.
Previously, Antoine Fuqua and Diego Luna were supposed to have served as the director and star of Scarface. However, both Fuqua and Luna dropped out of the project, leaving Luca Guadagnino to take the reins as the director. A new star has not been slated to take the place of Diego Luna at this time.
As far as the script to this new Scarface film is considered, all that we really know is that the Joel and Ethan Coen rewrite is still in play. Or at least, it is for the time being, as we’ve seen previous drafts come and go with the change of directorial management.
Before you start cracking open champagne, or anything else Tony Montana may have consumed in his Scarface adventures, this news does come with a caveat. While Luca Guadagnino is definitely a dab hand at remaking stories in his own auteur’s image, there’s one commitment that could derail this project, should it call the director by its name.
On his current slate of cinematic work orders, Guadagnino is also currently attached to bring Call Me By Your Name’s literary sequel, Find Me, to the big screen. As that film was a cultural and awards season hit back in 2017, all involved may want to make sure those peaches don’t go rotten before being served to audiences.
It’s all up in the air at this point, as almost a decade has been poured into Scarface’s development. The long sad history of setbacks and steps forward is something you can read about in greater detail elsewhere, but you could excuse those in the crowd who react to this news with about as much zest as hearing The New Mutants has a new release date.
Scarface is currently still in early days, so we’ll have to wait and see if Luca Guadagnino’s hiring will stick, or if another spin of that revolving door will bring new developments on the wind.
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