Given that the Scarface story has already successfully surfaced twice on screens – once in Howard Hawks’ 1932 Chicago bootlegging drama and again in 1983 via Brian De Palma, Oliver Stone and Al Pacino’s Tony Montana – you might be forgiven for wondering why Universal feels it needs another shot. Yet the studio clearly believes a new generation deserves its criminal kingpin and has **Harry Potter **veteran David Yates in talks to direct.
Details are still sketchy on what meat will be added to the skeleton story of someone looking to achieve their American Dream via violent, criminal means, and Universal has apparently been working with various writers to find the right 21st century milieu. David Ayer was the last name to crop up, which made us think it could focus on LA gangs. But with all the chopping, changing and secrecy, the latest take could focus on anything from cyber hackery to immigration and beyond.
The studio is reportedly excited by the current draft, which explains why Yates has now been approached. He’s drifted between potential projects like a wraith since finishing his tenure at Hogwarts, so Scarface could be the project that finally sees him settle.