Why We’d Love to See Michael B. Jordan Play Scarface

One big issue that a lot of people might have when it comes to remaking some of the more classic movies from decades past is that it does feel like they’re trying to reinvent the wheel and give it a few major updates that might make it appear to be a little better than the original. The downside here is that trying to top the original Scarface might feel like a slap in the face to a lot of fans that loved Tony Montana as he was and don’t really want to see another actor take the role. Even bringing Michael B. Jordan into the role would be kind of iffy since the director attached to the idea at the moment apparently enjoys the character of Tony Montana and would obviously want to update everything since it would be absolutely necessary. The Scarface of today is going to be more laden with technology, possibly more vicious, and a lot less of the mad dog type that Al Pacino played back in the day. Or, given the fact that Jordan can absolutely play the mad dog in a movie, it’s possible that this remake could push the idea of Scarface even further and really go over the top and create something that reflects the current day and age. It’s hard to say really, but at the very least it does sound as though it could happen, and while Michael B. Jordan is kind of an odd choice as some might feel, he’s still someone that could definitely bring a different look to the character as he’s done in other movies.

Of course, this is a different character than Jordan has ever played since even Erik Killmonger had more of a depth to him than Tony Montana. That might be an arguable point, but Montana was more or less a victim of his own hubris as he sought the American dream in his own peculiar way. Whether he was raised to be a killer or became one out of necessity, Tony Montana was for the most part a psychopath that made it clear that he was in the game to do what he could to make his life better. There were no illusions with Montana, he was there to make good, and if anyone stood in his path he was going to mow them down without mercy. There’s a good amount of faith that Jordan can act this way, but unlike the character that Al Pacino portrayed, Jordan’s will have to be ruthless in a way that makes sense in this day and age. Thinking about it at the moment, Montana made sense for his time period since the technology of that particular era was still up to date and was difficult to get around for people living in that time period, but considering the fact that the movie will be completely updated, one has to take into account just what kind of technological advancements have been made and how a drug dealer would get around them and become a dominant force in the drug game. And then there’s the idea of the people he would need to deal with.

For instance, Frank Lopez, played by the late, great Robert Loggia, was something of a cartoon character, a kingpin that had outlived his usefulness and become complacent in a life that was too easy and therefore bound to be upset by a younger upstart such as Montana. The kingpins in the drug game these days feel as though they would need to stay sharp, remain as incognito as possible, and have enough friends in high places that things would never reach the level of inquiry that would damage their business. Of course, these things were noticed in Scarface, but bringing everything up to date is going to have to take in the vast amount of surveillance that has likely been going on for years. In short, things have changed a lot since Scarface, and it’s likely that we wouldn’t see Tony Montana in a tent city as the first movie showed, but perhaps there would be a detention area where he might be held, to begin with, if that’s the route the movie intends to take. There are likely many other actors that would jump at the chance to play this part, but Michael B. Jordan does feel as though he could take it and run with it since he’s proven to be such a great actor at this point that it would feel wrong to exclude him in any way. The rest of the casting is kind of hard to pin down, but it would be nice to see a couple of the original actors make a cameo here and there if only to pay homage to the original. We’ll have to wait and see how things turn out, but this could be a great idea.