A handful of films are considered all-time classics. These movies are so iconic that no one in their right mind would ever dream of trying to reboot them. Films like The Godfather, Star Wars, and It’s a Wonderful Life. There will only ever be one version of these movies because trying to recreate their magic would be a fool’s errand. We would have thought that Scarface would have made that list of untouchables, too, but Hollywood has other plans as the 1983 gangster movie is about to get the reboot treatment.
While our first instinct is to poo-poo what sounds like a very bad idea, there are a few details about the remake that actually make it sound pretty interesting. For one, it’s being directed by Luca Guadagnino, the Italian filmmaker who already showed a flair for reboots with his acclaimed take on ’70s horror classic Suspiria in 2018. Further adding to the reboot’s pedigree is the fact that the script comes from Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, so you can bet that the story will be clever and the dialogue snappy. Also, the movie won’t be a straight remake. Unlike the ’80s film which starred Al Pacino as a Cuban cocaine lord in 1980s Miami, the new Scarface will take place in Los Angeles, though the timeline has not yet been specified. Finally, one more detail about the whole ordeal that makes it easier to swallow is this: 1983’s Scarface was itself a reboot. The movie was based on the 1932 drama of the same name, so we can’t really complain about a new reboot spoiling the cinematic purity of the ’80s version.
With the film industry still in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic, there is obviously no timetable yet for when this new Scarface will be released, but we’re excited to meet this new “Bad Guy” when it does.
