Worried that there will be few surprises or twists in the 2012 remake of "Total Recall" since you've likely seen the original Arnold Schwarzenegger-led version from 1990? Well, according to filmmaker Len Wiseman ("Underworld," "Live Free Or Die Hard") in perhaps the smartest observation he's ever made, a straight remake of that film would be pointless. Reportedly costing around $200 million, this film apparently takes a dramatically different approach from the original film's source material, Philip K. Dick's 1966 short story, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale."
"I have no interest in just remaking Paul Verhoeven's film with updated effects," Wiseman told Entertainment Weekly in their recent summer issue, noting the film was also different in mood and story. "This script goes further into the headspace of the character Quaid. What would that really be like, being told you're somebody you're not?" Starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston and Jessica Biel, "Total Recall" at least has a good cast going for it. Here's a synopsis.
Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.
"Total Recall" also features Bill Nighy, Ethan Hawke, John Cho, Bokeem Woodbine, Will Yun Lee and is due in theaters August 3. Does that last shot not look like a wax figure or stuntman made up to look like Farrell? [EW via Dread Central]
