When Universal announced that they were going to remake of Scarface, many fans of the iconic Al Pacino gangster flick were upset; of course, those who know their film history know that Brian De Palma's 1983 film (starring Pacino) was itself a remake of the famous 1932 Howard Hawks film. Both versions follow an ambitious criminal who takes over his city's underworld, only to be undone by his own ambition (and a twisted big-brother complex).

David Ayer (Training DayEnd of Watch) wrote a script draft for the new Scarface - but apparently the studio wasn't enthused with that version, because they brought on writer Paul Attanasio (Donnie Brasco) to do a new draft. Today, we have a rumor about what kind of angle Attanasio is taking with the story.

Latino Review is dropping the exclusive that the new Scarface will be set in the world of Mexican drug cartels, presumably following a Mexican character who embarks on the dark quest for criminal supremacy within the cartel.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, really, as it's been the tradition for Scarface films to reflect the criminal culture of the time period in which they were released. In the '30s, the rise of organized crime was still a fresh thought; in the '80s, Cuban expatriates were a security concern for southern Florida; and the violent reign of Mexican drug cartels is now a daily reality - one which is being explored in films like Oliver Stone's Savages and the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger film, The Last Stand.

Universal Planning Scarface Remake

While the Mexican angle makes sense for a modern take on Scarface, there will no doubt be some backlash about the choice; there was certainly a bit of backlash within the Cuban community when De Palma's film was released. Nonetheless, most cartel-related films in Hollywood deal with American law enforcement's battles against the gang factions, so getting a look at the other side of things - at what it takes to rise within the ranks of the cartel organization - could be both fascinating and horrifying in the way that has kept the Scarface brand alive these past 80 years since it began.

Are you interested to see Scarface, the Mexican cartel version? Or are two versions of the story enough? Let us know in the comments.

We'll keep you updated on the status of the Scarface remake as news comes in.

Source: Latino Review