Universal's SCARFACE reboot will go on without writer/director David Ayer
After just 2 months helming the reboot, writer/director David Ayer has stepped down from the untitled Scarface film.
Depending on which source you want to believe, Ayer's departure varies from script to scheduling reasons. A source for The Hollywood Reporter revealed Ayer's script was "too dark" for the studio's taste. Deadline's source cites Ayer stepped down for 'scheduling reasons' "too-tight" based on Universal August 2018 release date.
With Universal back to square one, it's worth noting the journey to find a writer/director for Howard Hawks 1932 and Brian De Palma's 1983 Scarface went from directing/writing teams - Pablo Larraine (Naruda) and Paul Attanasio (Donnie Brasco) to Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and Terrence Winter (The Sopranos) to David Ayer writing (Suicide Squad) and David Yates directing; Yates dropped out which left David Ayer writing and directing. It's also worth noting Universal brought in Joel and Ethan Coen in Feb. 2017 to rework various script iterations before finally landing on David Ayer.
But if indeed Ayer's script was "too dark" for Universal's tastes, the real headline should read - Universal has never seen De Palma and Stone's Scarface -
Diego Luna is still attached to star with Marc Shmuger (Lucy), Scott Stuber (Ted), Dylan Clark (Planet of the Apes series), and Martin Bregman, who produced the 1983 film starring Al Pacino, producing.
