One Remake Out, Another One In

Well, this week we had the announcement that one Paul Verhoeven film was temporarily safe from being remade... and news that another film on his C.V. is being remade.

Yes, the long anticipated, Kurt Wimmer-penned remake of Total Recall may be starting production, as Len Wiseman is in discussions to direct that film.

Now, if they are making a movie based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" and just titling it Total Recall, than I am completely cool with that, because it is an awesome short story. It isn't an action spectacular, but rather a more cerebral experience, and that is what I would hope the remake would be. (I also think of John Carpenter's The Thing as a more faithful reimagining Campbell's "Who Goes There?")

I remember reading stories about how initially, the original Total Recall was going to be directed by David Cronenberg, and he was going to go in a completely different direction with it, but then Carolco bought the rights to the picture and Schwartzenegger came in, and that was the reason he quit.

But thinking about the movies both Wimmer and Wiseman have made, it doesn't seem likely that the new Total Recall is going to be a brilliant thought experiment. I could be wrong. I mean, if it was Christopher Nolan making it, I think it would be awesome because this seems like something that was totally up his alley.

I guess I can only hope for the best.

Tags: total recall, len wiseman, kurt wimmer, john campbell, john carpenter, robocop, philip k dick, we can remember it for you wholesale, david cronenberg, cerebral, the thing, arnold schwartzenegger