"First ju getta money, den ju getta power. Den I get a parrot, mang, ju watch." -Scarfeather

It’s no surprise that someone would want to remake Scarface, given that Scarface was already a remake, and assuming what Oliver Stone says about Scarface is true. Now, according to a report by Deadline, Universal is prepping a new Scarface that “is not intended to be a remake or a sequel” to either the 1932 or the 1983 Scarface. Instead it will be a new version that takes story elements and a title from the previous versions. In related news, someone at Universal needs to go look up what “remake” means.

I’d heard that the studio has been meeting writers to script a take for a film that will be produced by Marc Shmuger and his Global Produce banner along with Martin Bregman. Bregman produced the Pacino version.
The film is not intended to be a remake or a sequel. It will take the common elements of the first two films: An outsider, an immigrant, barges his way into the criminal establishment in pursuit of a twisted version of the American dream, becoming a kingpin through a campaign of ruthlessness and violent ambition. The studio is keeping the specifics of where the new Tony character comes from under wraps at the moment, but ethnicity and geography were important in the first two versions. In the 1932 Scarface, an Italian (Paul Muni) took over Chicago, and in the Brian De Palma-directed remake, a Cuban cornered the cocaine trade in 1980s Miami. [Deadline]

If they’re still taking pitches, I think this film should tell the exciting true story of how the Wahlberg Brothers went to New York, discovered that there was a restaurant selling Wahlbergers, muscled in on the action, and took it back to Mass. It’s the American dream. “First you model the fackin’ undahweah, then you write the rap sawngs. Then you become an actah, then you get nawminated fahr a fackin’ Oscah, then some queah in New Yawk names a burgah aftah you called The Wahlburgah. Then you take the Wahlburgahs, and staht sellin’ em down neah da fackin’ hahbah, THEN you get the powah.”

It’s a reflection of our times.