Danny Ramirez Is Rebooting Scarface—and This Time, It’s Giving Latino Lead Energy
If you grew up in a Cuban household, you know just how important “Scarface” is for the culture. Non-Cubans also understand because anytime you tell a Cuban that you have never seen it instantly means movie night. Danny Ramirez is reportedly working to adapt the novel into a reboot. The novel has purred two movies so far, one in 1932 and the other in 1983. Fans are probably most familiar with the 1983 version.
Danny Ramirez wants to give fans a new “Scarface”
Danny Ramirez recently revealed that he is working to develop a “Scarface” reboot with friend and former NYU classmate Tom Culliver. The two have teamed up to bring the iconic cult classic into the 21st century with a reimagined telling of the story. The novel, “Armitage Trail,” is in the public domain, allowing for easy use for adaptation.
“‘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,” Ramirez told Deadline. “I think in 2025, it’s more relevant now than ever. So that’s where we’re excited to take this on.”
Culliver added: “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.”
This will be the first time a Latino will be tapped to play the lead role in a “Scarface” adaptation. The 1932 film, directed by Howard Hawks, focused on an Italian gangster in 1930s Chicago, played by Ukrainian Jewish actor Paul Muni. The film underwent changes prior to its release because it was criticized for portraying violence and the gangster lifestyle in a favorable light, which conflicted with the guidelines of the Hays Code.
In 1983, the story was adapted to focus on the Cuban community landing in Miami. Directed by Brian De Palma, the 1983 version of the story follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana, played by Italian-Sicilian-American actor Al Pacino. Tony, along with his friends, gets in bed with Colombian cocaine traffickers and starts a life of crime and glam.
The duo isn’t rebooting the movie just to reboot
We are clearly living in the land of reboots, with shows and movies all getting reimagined. “The Crow,” “Nosferatu,” and “The Naked Gun” are all reboot projects. A reboot for the sake of a reboot is a recipe for disaster. There is a deep appreciation and love for the originals, and capturing the same magic in a reboot is tough.
Ramirez and Culliver are clear that they do not want to capture the same story. Instead, they are looking at the project to tell a new story. Ramirez wants to make sure that the new “Scarface” tells a new story. He acknowledges the reboot culture that has been prevalent over the last 20 years.
“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,” Culliver told Deadline. “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.”
