‘Scarface’ is getting a reboot

This is exciting news!

Say hello to my little reboot. “Scarface” is getting a modern update in the form of a new adaptation directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”) for Universal Pictures.

Many people are most familiar with the 1983 mafia thriller classic starring Al Pacino, but that film is itself a remake of 1932’s “Scarface” starring Paul Muni as Antonio “Tony” Camonte, an Italian immigrant who becomes the crime boss of Chicago’s South Side.

The 1932 movies, helmed by Howard Hawks and produced by Howard Hughes, was loosely based on the 1929 novel “Scarface” by Armitage Trail. The original book was inspired by real-life gangster Al Capone, pictured below.

In 1983’s “Scarface,” Pacino plays Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who rises to power as a ruthless drug lord in Miami. So far, no casting has been announced for the reboot, but it will be set In Los Angeles.

The script is written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (“Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski”) with earlier drafts from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (“Miss Bala”), Jonathan Herman (“Straight Outta Compton”) and Paul Attanasio (“Donnie Brasco,” “House”).

The 1983 film celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2018, which was the year the latest reboot had been originally set to premiere. It has clearly been in the works for some time.

The 1983 movie originally was rated “X” for its extreme and graphic depiction of violence, drug use and sex. It was changed to an “R” rating a month before its release in December of that year. While audience and critical reception were initially mixed, the envelope-pushing movie went on to enjoy increased popularity when it came out on VHS and Betamax the following summer.

“Scarface” was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, including Pacino for Best Actor.

The film was released to DVD in 1998; you can currently purchase a Gold Edition from 2019 at Amazon.com that features many extras, including a post-screening Q&A from the 35th anniversary reunion in which Pacino reflected upon the film’s staying power.

“It’s caught on in such a way and we all have experienced it. This wasn’t the way it started,” Pacino said during the reunion. “When ‘Scarface’ first came out, it was extremely controversial, as you can imagine, this kind of movie. And it stays in our lexicon, in a way. It’s around, and it’s part of our culture in a strange way.”