Chilean Director Pablo Larraín to Direct ‘Scarface’ Reboot

According to The Wrap, the director of “No” and “Tony Manero,” Pablo Larraín, is in negotiations to take the reins of the classic immigrant tale made famous by Al Pacino and Brian De Palma back in 1983.

“Scarface” will reimagine the core immigrant story told in both the 1932 and 1983 films. Universal’s update will be an original story set in modern day Los Angeles where Tony will be Mexican and not of Cuban descent. It’ll follow a Mexican immigrant’s rise in the criminal underworld as he strives for the American Dream.

Larraín plans to cast an authentic Latino who is bilingual and bicultural as the lead character, whose name will be Tony, though his last name won’t be Camonte (1932) or Montana (1983). While Oscar Isaac, Edgar Ramirez and Michael Pena rank among Hollywood’s top Latino stars who are age-appropriate for the role, the producers are also open to casting a complete unknown in the name of authenticity.

Pablo Larraín

The new “Scarface” will be a more mythic origin story that explores where Tony’s physical and emotional wounds come from and how they shaped him as a man.

Larraín won the coveted job with his commanding and passionate vision. An insider told TheWrap that Larraín really connected to the material and, as someone who has never worked within the Hollywood studio system, he brought an outsider perspective that allowed him to relate to the main character and his narrative.

Larraín is currently directing an opera in Chile.