The news hit over a year ago that producer Neal Moritz and Sony were hoping to remake Total Recall, and though you may have hoped they forgot about it in the meantime, no such luck. Sony announced today that they've hired Underworld director Len Wiseman to direct the film, which they're of course calling a new adaptation of the original Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It Wholesale" instead of a remake. Yes, of course.
Here's what Wiseman had to say for himself, in case you're willing to give him a shot:
“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.”
The original Total Recall, released in 1990, sits right next to Robocop as sci-fi films directed by Paul Verhoeven that no one wants to see touched, ever. When MGM's planned Robocop remake fell apart recently thanks to MGM's colossal financial issues, it may have actually cleared the way for Total Recall. Since Robocop would have been directed by Darren Aronofsky, those of you who were celebrating its demise can go ahead and feel awful now.
Aside from the two Underworld films Wiseman has only directed Live Free or Die Hard, which was a serviceable PG-13 take on the Die Hard franchise. This might sound like sacrilege, but it's possible Wiseman has some skills with sci-fi he hasn't shown us yet. And give the apparent trend, if this movie collapses we'll inevitably get something even more awful-- Blade Runner remade by Adam Shankman? Come on, you know it can get worse than this.
