Universal has wanted to remake Scarface for over a decade, with many prominent writers and directors attached at various points during development. One of those filmmakers was David Ayer, who recently shared his thoughts about his time working on the Scarface reboot.
What Did David Ayer Say About His Unmade Scarface Reboot?
Rumored to be working on a Scarface project in 2011, Ayer officially boarded the reboot in May 2017, replacing Antoine Fuqua. However, Ayer exited the project in July 2017 due to scheduling conflicts, but there have been reports that Universal thought his script was too violent. While speaking with Total Film magazine, Ayer finally addressed what happened with his unmade Scarface reboot.
“One of the best scripts I’ve ever written was my Scarface draft,” Ayer said. “It gets passed around in Hollywood, underground. It’s funny when people talk about the project. ‘Is it the Ayer script?’ ‘No, it’s somebody else.’ ‘Oh, OK.'”
Ayer continued: “It wasn’t too violent. Violence — I can cover it. If someone gets shot, I can photograph it where a head explodes and have a hard R, and it’s not going to alienate people. That’s easy. That’s filmmaker 101. I created this rich, soulful journey through the drug trade, and kind of what it is. The studio just wanted something more . . . fun.”
Despite his love for the project, Ayer understood that Universal has a job to “capture as big of an audience as possible.” As Ayer put it, Scarface is the studio’s “biggest IP behind Jurassic Park.” For now, Ayer continues to have a good relationship with Universal.
“I fucking love Universal,” Ayer said. “Amazing people. I had this really honest conversation about the movie they wish they had, and the movie that I wished to make. There’s a lot of daylight between us. It’s just easier to be like, ‘Let’s park this.'”
The Scarface reboot is still in development. Ayer’s next film, The Beekeeper, arrives in theaters on January 12, 2024.
