L'Impasse
Pacino went to producer Martin Bregman with the intention of getting a Carlito Brigante film made and showed him an early draft of a screenplay, which Bregman rejected. Both Bregman and Pacino agreed that the character of Brigante would provide a suitable showcase for Pacino's talents. Bregman approached screenwriter David Koepp, who had just finished writing the script for Bregman's forthcoming "The Shadow," and asked him to write the script for "Carlito's Way". The decision came that the screenplay would be based on the second novel "After Hours". Carlito at this stage would match closer with Pacino's age. Although based primarily on the second novel, the title "Carlito's Way" remained, mainly because of the existence of Martin Scorsese's movie "After Hours". Bregman would work closely with Koepp for two years to develop the shooting script for "Carlito's Way".