Danny Ramirez to Star as ‘Scarface’

Danny Ramirez (“Top Gun: Maverick”) is set to star in and produce another “Scarface” movie.

Rather than remaking Brian De Palma’s 1983 film, the project will be a modern take on Armitage Trail’s 1930 novel, which was adapted into Howard Hawks’ 1932 classic. The novel is in the public domain, while De Palma’s Miami-set version, still owned by Universal, remains untouched.

Producer Tom Culver tells Deadline:

We want to modernize it, adapting the original novel. Obviously, there’s the Pacino legacy of it from the ’80s and then the original 1932 movie, but I think it’s ripe for modernizing, and to have someone like Danny in the lead is really exciting.

The new version of “Scarface” has secured development financing, with the intent of “keeping things contemporary and steering clear of nostalgia.”

Ramirez, meanwhile, has a packed schedule. He recently wrapped “Avengers: Doomsday” and will co-star with Pedro Pascal in Todd Haynes’ “De Noche,” set to shoot early next year. He’s also going to reprise his role as Manny in season three of HBO’s “The Last of Us.”

Meanwhile, it’s been decades of attempts to remake De Palma’s “Scarface” at Universal. In the 2010s, David Yates was attached direct at one point. A few years later, Pablo Larraín replaced Yates. Antoine Fuqua then entered, exited, and re-entered discussions multiple times.

Most intriguing of all was its last known development, in 2020, when Luca Guadagnino hopped on-board to direct, based on a script by Joel and Ethan Coen. Much like the other names mentioned, Guadagnino dropped out a few years later. It would be such a cinematic treat if Universal could find a filmmaker to helm that Coen script.