Len Wiseman to Direct Total Recall Remake

[Ayepecks]

Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, "Underworld" films) is in final negotiations to direct Columbia Pictures' Total Recall, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The film will be a new, contemporized adaptation of Total Recall, which was based on the story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick. Kurt Wimmer is writing the screenplay. Neal H. Moritz will produce through his Original Film banner.

Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, "Len has an incredible love of the genre and a great gift for action. He'll bring a contemporary feel to the film while taking care with everything we love about Philip K. Dick's original story."

Moritz said, "I have been trying for years to work with Len and fortunately we finally found a great project that he loves as much as we do. Len is terrifically talented and we know he is the right director to re-imagine Total Recall for a new generation of fans."

Last week, ComingSoon.net talked with Moritz, who told us a little bit about his planned revamping of the property. You can watch that video interview here.

Wiseman added, "I've always been fascinated with Philip K. Dick's short story, and I'm excited at that prospect of diving even deeper into the type of world it evokes and the questions it asks. I love that the most crucial mystery our character is trying to solve is the one of his own soul."

Toby Jaffe will oversee production on behalf of Original Film. Tolmach and Sam Dickerman are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. Columbia Pictures secured the rights to "Total Recall" from Miramax.

Source: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=68374

[MistaT40]

The original will always be my favourite. How can they find someone better then ARH-NULD to reprise the role?

[Ayepecks]

The original will always be my favourite. How can they find someone better then ARH-NULD to reprise the role?

Well, it sounds like they're going to stick more closely to the original story than the actual film, but will still use the title "Total Recall." The original film was alright, IMO... not as good as people imply.

[ahhell]

WTF does this need to be remade????

[Richard Hammond]

oh give it a rest for f*** sake and the MPAA wonder why profits are down its because hollywood keeps pumping out s*** films and goddamn remakes.

[Rappy Veteran]

lets hope this goes the way of Robocop Reboot :D

[Tech Star]

:( Kinda getting ****ed off with all the remakes. No more original ideas from Hollywood eh?

[Zakilephoth]

This is a movie that does not need to be violated with a remake. :argh: However, I think I wouldn't mind seeing those bulging eyes at the end of the movie in 3D. lol

Seems like there was a snowball effect with the Bat-nipples reboot.

[Ayepecks]

:( Kinda getting ****ed off with all the remakes. No more original ideas from Hollywood eh?

Total Recall itself wasn't an original movie... you know that, right? Based off a story...

[bjoswald]

The original Total Recall will always be my favorite. No matter how hard Hollywood tries, they'll never match the classics.

[RiverCampher]

The original Total Recall will always be my favorite. No matter how hard Hollywood tries, they'll never match the classics.

Depends how many girls with 3 boobies they have in it... Maybe they have 4 this time.. The possibilities...!!

[Rappy Veteran]

With an August 2012 release date looming, shooting on Len Wiseman?s remake of Total Recall is set to begin next week in Toronto. We know that Colin Farrell will be Douglas Quaid and Bryan Cranston will be one of the villains but what of the two ladies in Quaid?s life, so famously portrayed by in the original Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin? Previous reports have now confirmed to be true as Wiseman?s wife, Kate Beckinsale, will be playing Lori, Quaid?s wife in his ?normal? life and Jessica Biel will be Rachel, the girl Quaid meets in his spy life. Also just announced is that Bill Nighy, who played a pretty gruesome character in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, has been cast as Quatto, the leader of the resistance.

http://www.slashfilm.com/kate-beckinsale-jessica-biel-leads-total-recall-bill-nighy-quatto/#more-104609

Bill Nighy is in negotiations to join the cast of Total Recall, Columbia?s Colin Farrell-led remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie.

The film, which starts shooting in June in Toronto and will be directed by Len Wiseman, also stars Bryan Cranston as the villain, and Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel as the female leads. Ethan Hawke is on board for a cameo.

The movie ditches the Martian storyline from the original pic and instead involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai. Farrell plays Douglas Quaid, a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy ? although he doesn't know for which side.

Nighy will play Quatto, the leader of the resistance. (In the 1990 movie, the character, called Kuato, was played by Marshall Bell with the conceit that the leader was actually a small mutant living off the human.)

Nighy has made a name in the geek community playing a vampire ruler in the Underworld movies and Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He can next be seen on the big screen as Minister Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/bill-nighy-star-opposite-colin-192396

[witalit]

This is a movie that does not need to be violated with a remake. :argh: However, I think I wouldn't mind seeing those bulging eyes at the end of the movie in 3D. lol

Seems like there was a snowball effect with the Bat-nipples reboot.

Dude your avatar made me lol!

JEFFSTER ROCKKKKKKKKK

I really don't think this film needs a remake the original is awesome. I'm not a film critic so I don't care much for plot etc etc just action. Forget the damn remake though, maybe Bluray release? :yes:

[ahhell]

"The film will be a new, contemporized adaptation of Total Recall" + Colin Farrell !?1?!?!?!?!

This movie won't suck balls at all.

:blink:

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Wow, everyone saying "It doesn't need to be re-made"... It REALLY REALLY does!

The film, while a good fun action film has so little to do with the original story. The new film suggests it will follow the book, not the plot of someone who once read a 1 page treatment based upon the book.

Based upon that, I'd not even call it a re-make. It's not re-making the film, it's a film based upon the story that the original film messed up!

[witalit]

Wow, everyone saying "It doesn't need to be re-made"... It REALLY REALLY does!

The film, while a good fun action film has so little to do with the original story. The new film suggests it will follow the book, not the plot of someone who once read a 1 page treatment based upon the book.

Based upon that, I'd not even call it a re-make. It's not re-making the film, it's a film based upon the story that the original film messed up!

I didn't even know there was book.. I just had a read up on wiki I seriously love that site I could sit there and read about stuff all day. Wether or not its user added I dont care its so interesting.. just have a read about Total Recall.

[t_r_nelson]

All these remakes are ridiculous. Philip Dick has a ton of work they could draw from. Instead of rewriting something from scratch, write something from scratch.

[Rappy Veteran]

John Cho has joined the cast of Sony's Total Recall remake. Last night we reported that Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale were officially cast. Bill Nighy worked with director Len Wiseman on the Underworld franchise and is in talks to starto play the revolutionary hero, Kuato. The film starts shooting in Toronto on Monday. Cho has been cast in the role of "McClane, the smooth-talking rep for the mind-messing company that tempts Colin Farrell?s Douglas Quaid to implant fantastic memories into his brain." Bryan Cranston will play the futuristic villain played by Ronny Cox in the original film. Ethan Hawke wil have a small role in the film as well.

http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/5/26/john-cho-joins-totall-recall-cast.html

[DocM]

Official synopsis -

"Total Recall" is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story ?We Can Remember It For You Wholesale? by Philip K. Dick. 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.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

I think if this film is done a bit more seriously (unlike the original) then it could work. A bit more dystopian future, a bit darker, and less of the Arnie style "He's dead tired.." type lines and it might just be watchable!

[chrispinto]

lets hope this goes the way of Robocop Reboot

That's back on now

[DocM]

And.... Fred Barton's 1:1 authorized statue, made from studio molds, is out being laser scanned to produce the larger than life Robocop statue that will grace Detroit's Wayne State University tech park.

Hopefully the dedication will be this summer, and Peter Weller has been invited. Fingers crossed.

[Lamp0]

I love how people get so annoyed by remakes.

They shouldn't even be called remakes, it's not like they don't set out to replace the previous films, they are just alternative interpretations. Like an artist doing a cover song. Even if it's the worst film ever... so what? The orignal is still there.

lets hope this goes the way of Robocop Reboot

You don't want a Robocop directed by Darren Aronofsky?

[DocM]

>

You don't want a Robocop directed by Darren Aronofsky?

It's not Darren Aronofsky.

Jos? Padilha (Elite Squad, Elite Squad: Enemy Within)

Elite Squad: Enemy Within is Brazil's entry for a 2012 Best Foreign Film Oscar.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmmakersonfilm/8974037/RoboCop-remake-interview-with-director-Jose-Padilha.html

[Buio]

It's not Darren Aronofsky.

Jos? Padilha (Elite Squad, Elite Squad: Enemy Within)

So then we will have Robocop narrating the whole film? :)

Just kidding, Elite Squad are great movies.

-----

Regarding a Total Recall-remake, I hope it will be good. The first movie with Arnold is great in its own special way and will still be great even if the remake is good too. I for sure am interested in seeing this one, and I don't abhor remakes per se. If they are good, they are good. If they suck, they suck.