Scarfaceis one of Al Pacino’s most legendary roles and is still regularly quoted over 40 years since it was first released, so naturally, it was the perfect candidate for a remake, and Diego Luna was once involved. Alongside Al Pacino starring as Tony Montana,Brian De Palma was in the director’s chair, following his work on other major films likeCarrieandBlow Out. Together, Pacino and De Palma made a dynamic combination, resulting in a film so gleeful in its excessiveness that it must be applauded, and has only gotten more appreciation over time.
Hot off the heels ofRogue One: A Star Wars Story, Diego Luna was tapped to take over as Tony Montana in theScarfacereboot that would see Antoine Fuqua (Training Day,The Equalizer)direct the film afterDavid Ayer’sScarfacedidn’t come to fruition. An inspired pairing, both Luna and Fuqua had proven throughout their careers that they’re strong candidates to do justice to what came before. Of course, things don’t always work out perfectly, especially in the film industry, and a number of changes to the reboot have left its status up in the air.
Diego Luna’s Scarface Remake Exit Explained
Diego Luna was first confirmed to star inScarfacein an exclusive piece byVarietyback in 2017. Funnily enough, that same article explained that Antoine Fuqua was going to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts withThe Equalizersequel.Varietyonce again reported onScarfacein 2018, stating that Fuqua was back on board with the remake, and Luna was still attached to the project. Nearly two years had passed without any news revolving aroundScarface, until Luna broke his silence about the reboot in early 2020.
At the time of development, Diego Luna was featured on the Netflix series,Narcos: Mexico, as drug trafficker Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, which was a good showcase for what his Scarface performance could have been like.
During the 2020 Sundance Film Festival,Colliderbriefly spoke with Diego Luna about any updates regardingScarface, and whether he was still attached to the project.Luna simply stated,“No, no I’m not.“There is still no clear answer regarding Luna’s departure, but it is possible that he simply decided to walk away from the project after it had been stuck in developmental hell for several years at that point. Another possibility is that Luna could have been shifting all of his focus to theAndorseries that started filming in late 2020 and was released in 2022.
The Scarface Remake’s Current Production Status
Luca Guadagnino Was Involved But Left The Project, Leaving Its Status Up In The Air
In May 2020, just a few months after Diego Luna confirmed that he would not be starring inScarface,Varietyreported thatLuca Guadagnino (Suspiria,Call Me By Your Name) would be directing the film,taking over for Fuqua. Joel and Ethan Coen were the writers behind the most recent draft at the time. After that, Guadagnino was busy on a number of other projects, includingBones and All, which was released in 2022, andChallengers, which came out early in 2024, not allowing much time forScarface.
“The World, Chico, And Everything In It.” - 30 Best Scarface Quotes
Tony Montana’s word may be one of only two things he has in the world, but as the best Scarface quotes show, any word from him is golden.
Like everything that happened prior to Guadagnino taking over onScarface, it was confirmed late in 2023 that he was no longer attached to the film. In an interview withThe Hindu, the director gave a clear update on his involvement with the project:“I’m not working on ‘Scarface’ anymore.“Since the reports of Guadagnino’s exit, there have been no new developments aroundScarface, leaving the status of the remake unclear — but it is unlikely to be happening anytime soon.
Scarface
Cast
Brian De Palma’s iconic crime drama is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who begins a life of crime after arriving in Miami. It chronicles his rise from a penniless thug to one of the richest and most ruthless kingpins in the world, amassing a criminal empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
