‘Scarface’ Director Wants Denzel Washington As the Iconic Gangster in Remake

Kim Taylor-Foster
Movies
Movies

Brian De Palma’s 1983 version of Scarface is a stone-cold classic. Starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana, the penniless Cuban refugee who arrives in Miami and rises to become a powerful drug lord, the Oliver Stone-penned gangster flick was itself a remake of Howard Hawks’ 1932 adaptation of the 1929 novel by Armitage Trail. Trail’s original story was loosely based on real-life gangster Al Capone’s extraordinary crime career.

But now another remake is in the works. And Antoine Fuqua is on board to take the reins. This time around, The Equalizer and Training Day director wants frequent collaborator Denzel Washington in the main role – and is pushing hard to make that happen. FANDOM chatted with Fuqua ahead of the UK release of The Equalizer 2 when he revealed plans for his version of Scarface – which, despite reports, is far from ready to begin shooting.

“The version that I really want to do that I’m talking to [the studio] about is Denzel as Scarface, and having him be Dominican. That’s what I want,” he revealed.

Timely Premise

At the moment, however, the script, which is currently in development, features a very different protagonist.

“The version as it is now, he’s Mexican,” said Fuqua of the lead character in the remake. “He comes from Sinaloa. So it’s very up-to-date with what’s happening in the United States, on the borders and stuff like that.”

Fuqua added “It could be powerful and very up-to-speed with the times, but the script has to be amazing. And then I’ve got to find an actor that can really pull that off and [who] inspires me as well. So we’ll see. It’s just a development thing. It kind of got out there that I’m about to shoot it but I’m not.”

So when does he envisage that the project will begin production?

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Because when I get back to LA, I have to see what the writer and the producer [have come up with] and go through the script and see where it’s at, and then meet with the studio and see where they are.”

Al Pacino Cameo?

Fuqua all but ruled out cameos from the stars of the 1983 film Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer.

“They already did it and they did it well,” he said. “They’re so good. [But] they’re done. Al Pacino’s dead. I mean, Tony Montana is dead, anyway. But we’ll see. It’s intriguing. You can’t help but be intrigued by that idea. For me, anyway, my sensibility. And what I think I can say with that movie. But it just has to all line up.”

The prospect of Denzel Washington in the role of Scarface is a mouthwatering one for film fans. Surely the powers that be will agree.

The Equalizer 2 is out now in the US and Australia and hits UK screen son August 17.

Kim Taylor-Foster
Kim Taylor-Foster is Entertainment Editor for Fandom in the UK. She was raised on an unsteady diet of video nasties and violent action flicks.