Len Wiseman Is Directing The Total Recall Remake
I bet you thought that both of your balls (or boobs, ladies) would fall off before you ever saw the day an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie was remade. Well, even if you made such a wager, your men and lady parts are staying intact, because Columbia Pictures is absolutely moving forward on a remake of TOTAL RECALL, hiring Len Wiseman to direct the new version. Wiseman has been responsible for nothing good to this point of his career – 2 UNDERWORLD flicks and LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (arguably the worst in the John McClane series – so for him to get such a big picture laid on him speaks volumes about the direction of TOTAL RECALL. Either the execs at Sony are smoking a bunch of crack, or the TOTAL RECALL remake is going to suck.
I’ll give Wiseman his due on 1 front. He is able to shoot some action very well, making it look pretty cool, which is one of the things the 4th DIE HARD had going for it above the other films in the franchise. The actions sequence, while far less realistic, were at least stylistically more pleasing to the eye. But, for those of you who remember TOTAL RECALL for more than the chick with 3 tits and the dude with another dude growing out of his midsection, there’s a lot more to this story than cool action.
This makes The Kidd wonder if they’re looking to stick closer to the material TOTAL RECALL was originally based on, the Phillip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” instead of Arnold’s flick. I’m not sure it really matters though, as I start to feel a bit nauseous when I hear the terms “new, contemporized adaptation.” I get the feeling that we’re getting the exact same Schwarzenegger movie beat for beat in a shinier package, but without the Schwarzenegger… or Sharon Stone for that matter.
Nothing about this announcement rang bells of excitement over at the Infamous Headquarters, and I get the feeling this is one of those we-ran-out-of-ideas ideas rather than a good one. Therefore, no matter what goes down on this project, I’m not expecting much. But at least we have one good TOTAL RECALL movie under our belt. If this remake is what keeps Len Wiseman away from any plans for a GEARS OF WAR movie adaptation… well, sacrifices need to be made.
Here’s Columbia’s full press release on the matter, complete with Len Wiseman ass-kissing:
LEN WISEMAN TO DIRECT “TOTAL RECALL”
CULVER CITY, Calif., July 29, 2010 – Len Wiseman 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.”
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. Wiseman is represented by ICM and attorney Howard Abramson.
LEN WISEMAN began his career in the art department on the blockbuster films Godzilla, Stargate, Men in Black, and Independence Day. With his natural visual flair and eye for design, he was soon behind the lens directing commercials for PlayStation, Time Warner, Oracle, Intel and Activision, which quickly lead to a career in music videos, working with such artists as Quarashi, Rufus Wainwright, Megadeath, En Vogue, Static X, Paul Oakenfold, and Brooke Allison.
Wiseman went on to write and direct Underworld, which was so well received that he went on to direct Underworld: Evolution, a film he also executive produced. He went on to produce Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. His next directing project was the blockbuster hit Live Free or Die Hard.
He most recently directed the pilot for “Hawaii Five-O” and is co-writer and producer of the upcoming Underworld 4.
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