It may seem a bit hypocritical to denounce a remake of a film that is itself a remake, but Brian De Palma's 1983 gangster epic should be left alone. Yes, the film was a loose remake of Howard Hawks' 1932 film of the same name but over fifty years had passed between the release of the two films and De Palma's version was, essentially, a remake in name only. Scarface is an iconic film and Al Pacino's performance as Cuban drug lord Tony Montana is one of his best. After overcoming an initially frosty reception it is now regarded as one of the best gangster films of all time and the film has been endlessly referenced and parodied. Does the world really need a newer, even glossier version of Scarface? There is no doubt that there would be an interest, given the film's rabid fan base, and a remake was announced by Universal in 2011. Then everything went quiet (as it invariably does) until 2014 when new details were released to the public. Chilean director Pablo Larraín is to direct and the film will be set in modern-day L.A. and revolve around a Mexican, not Cuban, immigrant's rise in the criminal underworld. The film's IMDB page is currently blank and no further details have been released. Like many proposed remakes of great films, this one could very well end up not happening. Don't hold your breath, folks. Which other awesome films almost got invariably terrible remakes? Would you have liked to have seen any of the ones on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
