Word broke in September that a new version of Scarface is being developed for theaters. Today, Deadline has the update that David Ayer will tackle the new film’s screenplay.
Originally directed for the screen by Howard Hawks in 1932, the story of a gangster’s rise to power was based on the 1929 Armitage Trail novel of the same name. In 1983, Brian De Palma offered a modernized update of the story with Al Pacino in the lead, which is the version best known today.
Now producers Martin Bregma and Marc Shmuger (the former of which produced De Palma’s version) have hired Ayer to again update the story to present day. The new version will likely steer away from any specific remake elements outside of the basic storyline, though Ayer tells the site that he’s been studying both the 1932 and 1983 versions to prepare.
Ayer, best known as the screenwriter behind Training Day, also directed Street Kings and the upcoming End of Watch, which he also wrote.
