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USA Going Urban on 'Scarface' Miniseries
Tue Mar 9, 6:04 AM ET Add Entertainment - Reuters TV to My Yahoo!


By Andrew Wallenstein

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Scarface" is being reinvented at USA Network, which is developing an updated version that restages the gangster classic with a black cast in inner-city Los Angeles during the crack epidemic of the 1980s.



The four-hour miniseries could be in production as early as the fall in time for a 2005 debut, said Charles "Chic" Eglee, a consulting producer on FX's The Shield," who is attached to write and executive produce the project.


USA's Universal Studios parent holds rights to the characters and the "Scarface" name, which the miniseries would likely retain. A director and cast have yet to be named.


"It's an iconic story that needs to be told every generation, so there's a huge responsibility here," said Eglee, a veteran TV scribe instrumental in creating such primetime series as "Dark Angel" and "Murder One." "I'm just blessed that I have the opportunity to do this."


Just as the 1983 film set in Miami starring Al Pacino (news) as Cuban drug lord Tony Montana was a creative departure from the 1932 original, which depicted the rise and fall of Italian immigrant Tony Camonte, the new "Scarface" will not be a strict adaptation of the source material. Eglee will create a new cast loosely based on most of the primary characters instead of literally revisiting them.


By reimagining the story on the crime-ridden streets of Los Angeles' inner city, Eglee also will be giving the young, urban fan base of the 1983 version a "Scarface" of its own.


"Given the fact that 'Scarface' was so completely embraced as an icon of hip-hop, it's logical to retell that character in an iteration that is Afrocentric," said Eglee, who is bringing aboard rap-music producer Defari to develop a soundtrack and serve as a technical adviser on the miniseries.


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter