Carlito's Way: The Beginning: According to Production Weekly, Jay Hernandez will portray legendary Puerto Rican gangster Charlie "Carlito" Brigante, in Carlito's Way, The Beginning, the prequel to the 1993 Brian De Palma film that starred Al Pacino as Carlito.

Michael Bregman is directing from his own script which begins production next month in New York.

The story follows Carlito through Spanish Harlem's no exit world of gangs, drugs, pimping and the Mob, from the 1940s to the early 1970s.

Luis Guzman, from the original cast, will return.

Carlito's Way: The Rise to Power was released September 7th, 2005.