The world of reboots and remakes is plentiful at the moment, as it seems every major studio has at least one project in the hopper that would fit into either category. One such remake is Universal's planned Scarface update from director Antoine Fuqua. Itself a remake, this new film was seemingly set to hew closer to the 1983 Al Pacino film from director Brian De Palma, but now it seems this remake will take a little longer getting to theaters.

Fuqua has reportedly stepped away from the project due to his overcrowded schedule that includes directing duties on the upcoming sequel to the Denzel Washington action film The Equalizer. That leaves the film looking for yet another director after Fantastic Beasts director David Yates and Jackie helmer Pablo Larraín both stepped away from the modern-day retelling of a gangster classic.

The news was first reported by Variety, which also states that additional directors, unnamed at this time, have already begun meetings to keep Scarface on track for a spring shoot.

Al Pacino as Tony Montana with a giant machine gun in Scarface

It's understandable why Universal would want to keep the film's production on track, as they have reportedly lined up Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's Diego Luna as the lead. This piece of casting will likely make the remake a much hotter property, considering Luna's increased profile having been a memorable character in not only a Star Wars film, but a major Hollywood blockbuster that recently crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.

That sort of thing can have a major impact on how a film is perceived ahead of its release, and in this day and age of pre-existing IP being passed around, every remake can use an attractive star to help its cause. And Scarface has had its share of remakes and reboots in the form of hip hop tributes, two video games, a novel titled Scarface: The Beginning, and an IDW graphic novel Scarface: Scarred for Life. Its iconic poster art was most recently remade for the Todd Phillips comedy-drama War Dogs.

That sort of cultural longevity can help explain why Universal Pictures is eager to bring a guns-blazing Scarface back to the screen, but the challenge to win over fans of the Tony Montana story is a high stake. Fuqua was a natural fit for the story's return, and according to Variety's sources was a film he "very much wanted to do." He also felt the film's reboot was very timely, with its story of immigration in the age of "putting up walls."

Screen Rant will have more details for you on the Scarface reboot as they are made available.

Next: The Equalizer 2 Starts Filming Next Year; Antoine Fuqua Back As Director

Source: Variety