It's going to be a competitive summer for everyone, as we've detailed in the past, but few films have a tougher fight ahead of them than Sony's "Total Recall." A remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger action sci-fi picture that's beloved by geeks everywhere, the new version has exchanged visionary helmer Paul Verhoeven for the much less popular Len Wiseman ("Underworld," "Live Free and Die Hard"), and toplines the still-unproven-as-a-box-office-draw Colin Farrell, rather than Arnie. Not to mention it's going head to head at the box office with "The Bourne Legacy," which is after an identical demographic.
Marketing on the film has been quiet so far, with only a few leaked images getting out, but finally some footage has arrived at The Film Stage, in the form of what seems to be some kind of Taiwanese Comic-Con spot (or something) for the picture. And while brief, what there is of it has not exactly made us feel that much more optimistic about the project; Wiseman has swapped the bonkers Mars setting for something left over from unused concept drawings from "Minority Report," and traded Verhoeven's sure hand for CGI-aided camera moves.
Still, the film's got a strong cast, with Farrell (certainly a better actor than Schwarzenegger) joined by Jessica Biel, the director's missus Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston (as villain Cohaagen), Bill Nighy, Ethan Hawke, Bokeem Woodbine and a crazy wigged John Cho, and the script got a polish from "Zodiac" writer James Vanderbilt, so hopefully there's reason for optimism. We're sure a full trailer will be along sooner rather than later, and "Total Recall" will arrive on August 3rd. Watch the clip below.
