TOTAL RECALL to be Recalled and Remade

The classic sci-fi movie TOTAL RECALL which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger is up for a remake. This remake, which is in development over at Columbia Pictures, will be directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld & Diehard 4) and will star Colin Farrell as Quaid, the leading role once made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bryan Cranston – three-time Emmy-winning star of AMC’s Breaking Bad – is in negotiations to star as the villain. It is not yet known to who exactly Cranston will be playing. The first movie had two primary villains: Corrupt Mars administrator / evil mastermind Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox), and his ruthless henchman Richter (Michael Ironside). Whether Cranston will be playing the bad guy with brains or brawn has yet to be announced.

The first TOTAL RECALL movie which was directed by the director of Robocop, Basic Instinct, and Starship Troopers director Paul Verhoeven. It was an adaptation of the short story, “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” which was written by the famous sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick.

It has been revealed that the screenwriter of the upcoming remake, Kurt Wimmer (Salt, Equilibrium) will be more faithful to Dick’s original story than what the first Total Recall did. Here is the synopsis of “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”

Douglas Quail, a simple and ordinary man, wishes to visit Mars. Unable to afford it, he visits a company, Rekal, Incorporated, that offers implanted memories (“extra-factual memory”). The attempt to implant some racy Mars memories of Quail as a secret agent reveals that Quail actually is an undercover government assassin with a mind full of dangerous secrets. The Rekal staff quickly get Quail out of their office; he heads home and finds certain physical evidence to support his new old memories.

The government initially seeks his death but instead Quail manages to make a deal. He returns to Rekal to have his Mars memories once more suppressed, and is offered by way of compensation a set of heroic wish-fulfillment false memories. The Rekal staff begin the memory-implanting procedure — and uncover a different and older set of suppressed memories revealing that the unbelievable memories they are about to insert are already there and are true.

The first TOTAL RECALL movie was primarily an action vehicle for Schwarzenegger. Personally, I am hoping that this remake will be a better, more thought-provoking movie that will have the same kind of mood as Inception. The only problem here is that Len Wiseman is best known for his being a visual action director. His Underworld movies are best known for its John Woo-like style, and stylish character designs. At least, we should be thankful that it's not Brett Ratner or Michael Bay.

Total Recall is slated for release on August 3, 2012.