David Yates is set to direct a 'Scarface' remake.

The 'Harry Potter' director - who helmed the final four instalments in the hugely successful wizarding franchise - is in final negotiations with movie studio Universal to helm the highly anticipated crime film.

The studio has made finding a director for the project its top priority after nailing down a script they are happy with.

The screenplay has been revised several times by a number of writers, but Universal has opted to keep details, including the writers in question, a secret.

A source told Deadline: ''Universal has been through a couple of drafts and now is very high on the current draft. The first stop is the director. This is before any conversations on talent or timing.''

The classic gangster story based on Armitage Trail's 1929 novel of the same name has had two iconic interpretations on the big screen. Howard Hughes directed a 1932 version, and in more recently memory, Al Pacino played Cuban mobster Tony Montana in Brian De Palma's 1983 version of the film.

The new movie is expected to be a loose remake of the first two films, with location and culture playing a big part of the story. The 1932 version was set in Chicago, while De Palma's flick centred on the rich Latin culture in Miami.