Danny Ramirez to star in Scarface adaptation from 1930 novel

Danny Ramirez will star in and produce a new adaptation of Scarface, developing the project through his production company Pinstripes with longtime collaborator Tom Culliver. The pair said they are basing the film on Armitage Trail's 1930 novel rather than remaking Brian De Palma's 1983 Miami-set version, and they have secured development financing as the project enters early development.

Culliver said the intention is to "modernize it, adapting the original novel," and to avoid a nostalgic retread of the Pacino-era film. "We are not going to do this cravenly," he said. "We have something to say with the material. There has been too much of that in the last 20 years to just go around making remakes because you can latch onto some audience built into the IP. You have to have a new story to tell within it." Ramirez added that the role is a dream part and an opportunity to bring his Colombian and Mexican heritage to the lead character. "Scarface, to us, is the one that it's been a dream role to play, but also to develop it in a way that I understand," he said. "I think in 2025, it's more relevant now than ever."

The choice to draw from the 1930 novel is legally significant because...