Antoine Fuqua Hints at Ideas for a 'Timely' Remake of 'Scarface'
Antoine Fuqua has lately become a remake machine, what with 2014’s The Equalizer (an adaptation of the popular 1980s TV series) and this Friday’s The Magnificent Seven, a re-do of the 1960 Western classic which itself was modeled after Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. So it’s no surprise that his next project may be yet another reimagining of a beloved hit — one that, according to the director, couldn’t be more timely.
Related: ‘The Magnificent Seven’: Toronto Film Review
Speaking to Erik Davis at Fandango, Fuqua gave new details on his potential remake of Scarface, the 1983 Brian De Palma-directed, Al Pacino-headlined crime epic about a Cuban refugee who rises to the top of Miami’s illicit cocaine business (itself a loose do-over of a 1932 gangster film directed by Howard Hawks). It may be one of modern Hollywood’s most influential movies, and as Fuqua sees it, now is the moment to bring an updated version to big screens, given that its themes continue to be all-too-relevant:
“I read the script they have and it’s actually really interesting and very timely…. we still have those issues dealing with the American Dream, and the fact that the game is rigged, right? It’s not really an even playing field, but the promise is that it is. The promise is that everyone gets a fair shot, but that’s not always the case. So that’s always relevant, and right now with what’s happening in Mexico, which is where [the main character] comes from — he comes out of Mexico — that’s relevant, especially when you’ve got people talking about putting up walls and other kinds of stuff. We’re still dealing with immigration, we’re still dealing with what would turn someone into Scarface.”
Related: 6 Things We Learned on the Set of ‘The Equalizer’
You can read all of Fuqua’s thoughts on a Scarface re-do, as well as his plans for The Equalizer 2 over at Fandango. The Magnificent Seven rides into theaters this Friday.
‘Scarface’: Watch highlights from reunion of 1983 cast in connection with the film’s Blu-ray release:
