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Len Wiseman to Direct Contemporary Remake of Total Recall

by Ethan Anderton
July 29, 2010

It's been over a year since we heard screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium, Street Kings) was hired to pen the remake of Total Recall, or rather, a new adaptation of Philip K. Dick's story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. But today comes the first real development on that project in a very long time as Columbia Pictures has officially announced via press release (read here) that Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld) will direct this new, contemporary adaptation. For those of you who were already lamenting the fact that Total Recall was being remade, I can't really see this news changing anybody's mind right now.

Here's some fluffy PR quotes to try and put your mind at ease. Producer Neal H. Moritz says: "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.” Well he's not going to say he hated the fourth Die Hard, so obviously they think he's the right guy for the job. Columbia president Matt Tolmach added this bit of puffery: "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." Anyone sold by all this crazy mumbo jumbo?

Meanwhile, Wiseman himself says, "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.” That's a little less bullshit, and a little more interesting, but Wiseman has an uphill battle to convince people (including me) this is something they need to see. Schwarzenegger and Paul Verhoeven made a damn good sci-fi film back in the day, and that will be hard to live up to. We can see what Wiseman's recent work looks like when the remake of the classic series "Hawaii Five-0" hits CBS this fall (Wiseman directed the pilot). Thoughts?

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quaked02023

Like Kevin Smith said, he will be known as the Sequel-Remake guy haha
Janny

and its gonna be PG-13 and in 3D
monal

waste of time....I don't see much you can add to the original unless ur doing a radically different story with today's effects (the original FX was good for its day)
Kolo Yaya

Just re-release the original, its a classic and cannot be improved.
Maeci

Much as I loved the original, it bares no resemblance to the short story whatsoever! I think if Len makes a proper adaptation of We Can Remember it for you Wholesale, no one would even consider it a remake of TR... and I, for one, would be very keen to see it.
Have Hope

#4 is on point. The Verhoeven/Arnie film is a classic in its own right. Oh, and isn't this the guy that allowed McClane to beaten up by a woman? And had a jet on the highway? HH
jjboldt

I'm alright with it. Not saying I'm thrilled, but not completely bothered by it either. I guess you could say........................ curious. I do have to admit though, those were indeed some outstanding fluffy quotes by the studio. Like hearing a poltician on the campaign trail.
Jimmy Love

Oh My God are they ever gonna stop. Leave it alone
ryderup

if the go back to the original shortstory - why not? But, Wiseman is in the same league as ratner, McG and WS Anderson. He sucks. LFODH was one digital looking tame version of DH. Only good thing that one had was the mention of Pearl Jam in the car scene. It had really bad greenscreen work, it was digitally graded to look like shit and it never had any tension what so ever. Mclain the supergod.
http://sillysil.net/ SillySil

Please don't, I don't want to see that expanding head and eyeball scene ever again.
Luis M

As much as I love Philip K. Dick's stories and books (which is to say, a lot!) why aren't they adapting into movies the stories from other great authors? Other than movies based on PKD's stories, there hasn't been a lot of good adaptations from the masters of science fiction ("I, Robot" and "Starship Troopers" come to mind).
Phantom

Sharon Stone is just irreplaceable. Forget it, just re-master the original masterpiece, if you do anything at all.
beavis

another unnecessary remake........might as well make it in 3D too (since 3D is an unnecessary, money-making gimmick which will fit right in with a useless remake)
Joe

That would be like making Blade Runner2. It would never be as good as the first one was and it would just upset PKD fans.. But studios don't clearly listen to fans so. because if they did we wouldn't have 3d
harm

Sorry Phillip K. Dick's story deserves a better treatment than Arnie and Verhoven.
Xerxex

Just do a blu-ray re-release, no need to recreate a classic. LEAVE IT ALONE WISEMAN! Focus in GOW and give us the 3rd Underworld with Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman!
http://www.kevinraffay.com Kevin Raffay

The movie industry is turning into a real life version of Total Recall. Are there no more original ideas? Either it is a movie adaptation of a 70's sitcom or classic comic, or a sequel, or a remake... I think Hollywood has become creatively vacuous.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Monsters!
CJ

#2 Janny Your A Fucking Dumbass and Second its not gonna be PG-13 and not in 3D
gonnarentit

ReRelease the original in eye popping Imax 3D! Yes I love it! Where are my Oakley 3D shades???
DiR3cT

Wow! this is going TO BE SOOOOO freakin good! Anyone else going to avoid this like the plague???
ryderup

I don't see why people are frustrated by this. The Verhoeven film differs alot from the novel. So what does it matter if the go back to the source?? Calling it Total recall would suck. But still.
Bob

im sure there is no need for remaking Total Reacall because the original is always on the top,they want to make a "3D PG-13" ver of total recall for kids.Dear Len please go for making "Gears of War" movie,there is no need for remake of total recall.
napoleonblownapart

There are many brilliant Philip K Dick stories. Here's a crazy idea, just do a different one...?
http://www.refrigerators.net Sam

I hope this comes out at the same time as the remake of Flight of the Navigator so I can get them both out of the way at once.
Kinks!

#1 Kevin Smith is one to talk, his work is absolutely shite these days. He'd bite someone's hand off to get this Total Recall gig. No studio would let him near anything, his recent work sucks donkey testes!
Quaked2023

#26 Whatch "Sold out: A threevening with Kevin Smith" you'll see why a said that.
tir na nog

They already did ,its called Inception{at least a lot of it} Leave it alone,Wiseman is not as good as Verhoeven,and the special effects in the original are just fine.Make an original film! stop remaking the eightie's!
az

#28 Good point about PKD's original story being similar to Inception. When someone mentioned going back to the original story Inception popped into my mind. The original story was great so if they could find a way to be faithful to that I'd be in.
Solo Calrissian

"We need to git zee-peeple ze-aya!!" "git ya ahh's to mozz" "two weeks!" and so on and so on..... Some of the greatest one-liners in Movie History. This movie SHOULD not be remade.... (We already KNOW the twists & reveals!!!!) That said, if this dude wants to use the source material for his OWN spin on that story, whatever, so be-it. But DO NOT remake this version. Minority Report was first conceived as a sequel to TR(same source material author) until it became it's own distguishable project. Go THAT route, not some crappy re-hash of a sci-fi classic. "See you at zee Pah-tee Rick-tah!!"
yoyo-ma

@30 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA