‘Scarface’ update to be written by ‘Training Day’ scribe David Ayer

No stranger to crime dramas – having written the films “Training Day” and “S.W.A.T.” and written and directed “Harsh Times” and “Street Kings” – writer/filmmaker David Ayer has been chosen by Universal to handle scripting duties on the upcoming “Scarface” update for producers Marc Shmuger and Martin Bregman. The project was initially announced in September.

The new version of the title – the third after both the 1932 Howard Hawks/Richard Rosson film and the 1983 movie directed by Brian De Palma – will not function as a remake of either of the previous incarnations but will nevertheless stick to the main idea of an immigrant who becomes part of the U.S. criminal underworld in his ruthless pursuit of the American Dream.

The news was broken by Deadline.

Ayer’s most recent project is “End of Watch” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, which he wrote, directed and produced. The film, which is currently in post-production and which Ayer is planning to screen for distributors by the end of the year,  follows the lives of two LAPD cops who have been partners and friends for many years. Also starring Anna Kendrick and America Ferrara, it’s at least partially told through the lens of surveillance cameras in a sort of “found footage” aesthetic.

Do you think Ayer is the right choice for the new “Scarface”, or would you prefer the studio went with a less-conventional choice? Let us know in the comments!

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