A Scarface remake is now in development, and an MCU actor is poised to play the role popularized by Al Pacino. Directed by Brian De Palma, the 1983 crime drama is itself a remake of a 1932 movie, which is based on the 1930 novel of the same name.

Scarface follows Pacino’s Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant, as he becomes a notorious Miami drug smuggler while battling his own drug addiction. The film released to somewhat lukewarm reviews but has since become a crime movie classic.

In a recent interview with ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Danny Ramirez and Tom Culliver reveal that they are developing a new, modernized take on Scarface through their production company, Pinstripes. Ramirez, who is best known for playing Joaquin Torres in the MCU, would play Montana in the film. Check out the partners’ comments below when asked about their focus on originals versus acquired IP:

CULLIVER: One of the larger pieces of IP that we’re adapting at the minute is Scarface. Obviously, Danny will play Scarface. We want to modernize it, adapting the original novel.

We’re independently developing it; we have some development financing in place. 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.

RAMIREZ: [We’ll be] developing our own IP, but also then going out and finding partners that have interesting IP that want to partner with us as creatives. But there’s also some that we’re just, with our little bit of funds, developing ourselves.

Culliver and Ramirez also stress that their take on Scarface will feature some changes. Though the duo doesn’t go into detail, Ramirez says an updated take on the crime epic could be quite relevant in 2025:

CULLIVER: I think importantly on the IP thing, we’re not going to engage on something if we don’t have a totally unique, fresh way into it. You don’t want to do stuff where you’re just remaking stuff for remakes’ sake. We’re not going to do this cravenly; we have something to say with the material. There’s been too much of that in the last 20 years to just go around making remakes because you can latch onto some audience built into the IP. You’ve got to have a new story to tell within it.

RAMIREZ: Scarface, to us, is the one that it’s been a dream role to play, but also to develop it in a way that I understand it. I think in 2025, it’s more relevant now than ever. So that’s where we’re excited to take this on.

What This Means For Scarface

Universal Pictures was previously involved in developing a Scarface reboot, with Challengers (2024) director Luca Guadagnino becoming attached to the project in 2020. Guadagnino then revealed in 2023 that he was no longer working on the reboot, with no details having emerged regarding why things fell apart.

Evidently, however, this has left the door open for Ramirez and Culliver to work on their own take on the Pacino crime movie. It should be noted that a project being in development is not a guarantee that it will get made, and Culliver even notes that the financing they’ve obtained is for development, not for production.

Should Pinstripes’ take on Scarface end up coming to fruition, it sounds like audiences can expect some updates from the 1983 and 1932 versions. Both Ramirez and Culliver make clear that they will only pursue existing IP if they feel like they have their own unique take on the material. Their Scarface, then, could end up feeling fresh and new.

Exactly how Ramirez and Culliver will modernize Scarface and put their own spin on it remains to be seen, but using Tony Montana’s status as a Cuban immigrant could be a way to explore modern issues. With the film still being in development, it’s still a number of years away should it end up moving forward.

Our Take On The Scarface Remake

1983’s Scarface may not be the original, but it is arguably the most iconic version of that story. Montana is also one of the most iconic roles of Pacino’s storied career. This means Ramirez and Culliver face a high bar in terms of creating a new version of this story that feels like a worthy successor.

If the remake does move forward, it serves as an interesting opportunity for Ramirez to announce himself as a leading man after mostly supporting roles, including in the cast of Top Gun: Maverick (2022). The Scarface remake remains something of a question mark, but it’s evidently a project to keep an eye on as development continues.