The “Scarface” reboot may be be down a director but it seems to have just gained its leading man.
In a recent article announcing director Antoine Fuqua’s departure from the project, Variety also reported that sources say “Rogue One” actor Diego Luna is set to star in the film.
While the 1983 film starring Al Pacino told the story of a Cuban refugee turned Miami kingpin, the reboot will reimagine the story through the eyes of a Mexican immigrant in contemporary Los Angeles.
In 2014, The Wrap reported the lead character’s name will be Tony (last name still unknown) who will “rise in the criminal underworld as he strives for the American Dream.” The publication also said the reboot will do more to explore the character’s “physical and emotional wounds.”
Rumors that Leonardio DiCaprio would be the reboot’s lead circulated online in January, a decision that would’ve marked the second time a non-Latino actor portrayed a Latino lead in “Scarface.”
Universal Studios is looking for a new director to helm the project after Fuqua’s exit. Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (”Jackie”) and director David Yates (”Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them”) were also previously attached to the film.
Luna’s recent performance in “Rogue One” was hailed by fans as an important example of positive Latino representation in Hollywood, after the Mexican star kept his thick accent while portraying a hero in the film.
It’s currently unclear how similar the “Scarface” reboot will be to the Pacino-led version, but it seems unlikely that it will avoid the 1983 film’s Latino immigrant turned drug dealer plot line. Considering Luna’s work with positive representation, it’ll be interesting to see how he’d navigate a story that feeds into political rhetoric that accuses Mexican immigrants of “bringing drugs” into the United States.
