Kate Beckinsale Talks Total Recall

Kate Beckinsale while speaking with Collider about Underworld: Awakening revealed the details about playing Lori in the Total Recall reboot. Apparently, director Len Wiseman's take on her character was to combine both Lori (Sharon Stone) and Richter (Michael Ironside) into one single person. An interesting concept as it's the first time we've heard confirmation and reason why Richter had been left out of casting announcements. The reboot is set to be released on August 3rd 2012.

“It’s going really great, and everyone’s very excited about it.  I suppose the thing is, Sharon Stone’s interpretation of Lori is safe because my character is more… It is Lori, but it’s an amalgamation of Lori and Richter.  So I guess one of the differences about our movie as opposed to their movie is in that period of time they needed her to have a right hand man.  I am the right hand man and Lori at the same time.  So it’s a little bit more of an amalgamation of a couple of parts.”

FIRST LOOK: Len Wiseman's Total Recall Reboot

Will Yun Lee Joins Total Recall

ShowBlitz reports that Will Yun Lee has joined Len Wiseman's Total Recall reboot. Supporting roles in the film are quickly coming together as production is expected to start up soon in Pinewood Studios Toronto. The impressive cast includes Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, John Cho, Bill Nighy and Bokeem Woodbine.

John Cho Joins Len Wiseman's Total Recall

Casting is starting to quickly come together for Total Recall as director Len Wiseman fills the rest of the supporting roles. EW reports that John Cho (Star Trek) is the newest addition to the film. Cho will play the fast-talking rep for Rekall who convinces Douglas (Farrell) to get the memory implant. Starring as Douglas Quaid is Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Minority Report), Kate Beckinsale will play his wife Lori, Jessica Biel his revolutionary girlfriend Melina, Bryan Cranston (John Carter, Drive) is confirmed for the villain, Bill Nighy (Underworld) is in talks for role of the resistance leader and Bokeem Woodbine will play Douglas' friend.

Bill Nighy In Talks For Len Wiseman's Total Recall

HeatVision reports that Bill Nighy (Pirates 2-3, Underworld, Shuan of The Dead, ) is in talks for the role of resistance leader Quatto in Total Recall. In the original film Kuato was a mutant but it's unknown if this version of the character will be too. Since it's been assumed the Mars colony is also gone in the remake. Nighy would join Bryan Cranston, Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bokeem Woodbine (The Big Hit).

Kate Beckinsale & Jessica Biel Confirmed For Total Recall

Collider confirms that both Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) and Jessica Biel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) have officially signed on for Len Wise's Total Recall remake. Beckinsale will play Lori the wife of Douglas (Colin Farrell) while Biel will play the Melina role.

Bokeem Woodbine Joins Total Recall

Variety reports Bokeem Woodbine (Big Hit, The Rock, Dead Presidents) has joined Len Wiseman's Total Recall remake.

Kate Beckinsale Offered Lori Role In Len Wiseman's Total Recall

Deadline reports that an offer has gone out to Kate  Beckinsale for the Lori role in Len Wiseman's (Die Hard 4) Total Recall remake. Beckinsale and Wiseman are married working previous together on the first two Underworld films. They also name Rosario Dawson (Sin City) and Eva Mendes (Once Upon A Time In Mexico) as serious contenders for the role of Melina. Currently the only two cast actors are Colin Farrell and Bryan Cranston.

Curiously enough Jessica Biel's name has disappeared from this new update. Biel had been previously linked as a frontrunner. I'm sure it could still be the case she's in the mix for Melina as she read for both parts. I'd have to take Eva over Rosario just because I haven't seen a good performance from Dawson in years. I think Beckinsale is a good fit for the Lori role and it doesn't hurt she has a strong working relationship with Len. She is also finishing up production on Underworld: New Dawn, so Kate's going to be in fight mode when she steps on the set.

Jessica Biel Frontrunner For Role In Total Recall Remake

Variety reports Jessica Biel is circling one of the two female leads in Len Wiseman's (Underworld 1-2, Die Hard 4) Total Recall. Biel had been linked to testing for the Melina role but is now also up for the role of Lori and it's unknown which one she's being considered for. Biel would be an excellent addition to the cast as she's one of the more believable physical actresses working in Hollywood at the moment. So when she's firing a weapon or doing fight scenes it doesn't look odd or out of her nature. Sony is starting up production soon in Toronto sharing the same studio as Ridley Scott's Prometheus.

Another interesting tidbit is that Variety included a new addition to the film's synopsis. It's the first time there has ever been a mentioning of the film being set on Mars. I'm not sure if they're just rehashing the original's plot or this is an official one. If it's true I'll be warming up a lot more to this remake. Total Recall is currently set for an August 3rd 2012 release date with Colin Farrell as Dough and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as the film's villain.

"The film follows Douglas Quaid, a man who believes he is a secret agent and ends up on a Martian colony where he fights to overthrow a ruler controlling the production of air."

Bryan Cranston Will Play Villain In Total Recall Reboot

HeatVision reports that Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) has been cast as the villain in Len Wiseman's Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrell. Cranston has been getting some prime roles in interesting films such as Drive, Contagion and John Carter of Mars. They also reveal the Mars-less synopsis which seems like it's more of retelling of another iconic science fiction story not written by Dick.

"The new story involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn’t know for which side. Cranston would play Vilos Cohaagen, the leader of Euromerica who, under the cover of protecting his people, is secretly readying an invasion of New Shanghai."

Diane Kruger, Jessica Biel, Eva Green, Paula Patton, Eva Mendes & Kate Bosworth Could Join Total Recall Reboot

It looks like Len Wiseman's (Underworld 1-2, Die Hard 4) Total Recall reboot is about to find it's two female leads. Deadline reports that the studio is talking with actresses that will star opposite Colin Farrell. In the role of Doug's wife Lori played previously by Sharon Stone is being read by Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) and Diane Kruger (Troy, Inglourious Basterds). Also in the role of capable and dangerous ally Melina could be Jessica Biel, Eva Green (Casino Royale), Eva Mendes (Once Upon A Time In Mexico) and Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Deja Vu). Production is expected to start soon in Toronto at Pinewood Studios so expect casting announcements in the coming days.

That fact Deadline is naming both Lori and Melina could mean the remake is closer to the original than previous thought. I'd love to see Kruger in the role of Lori but I think any of those actresses could pull off Melina. I'm just hoping there is more science fiction than previously stated. As Mars was an important aspect in both the film and original story. The remake is set for an August 3rd 2012 release date.

Len Wiseman's Total Recall Reboot Gets 2012 Release Date!

Sony has officially announced the release date of Len Wiseman's (Underworld 1-2, Die Hard 4) Total Recall. It will hit theaters on August 3rd 2012 with Colin Farrell in the lead role.

I hope it keeps a lot of the original science fiction elements since the words "contemporary" have been attached to the official synopsis. I would assume this means we won't be seeing an advanced/futuristic world of espionage. Along with the exclusion of Mars elements from the original film have been scrapped likely to save the studio money.

I really hope they don't go the route of The Adjustment Bureau which looks like it could end up one of the worst adaptations of Phillip K. Dick's work because of it's lack of futuristic science fiction elements. I believe Dick's stories are best used in film when they're applied to a full-on science fiction movie Blade Runner, Minority Report and Total Recall being the best of the bunch.

Colin Farrell Confirmed For Total Recall Reboot

Collider has confirmed with producer Neal Moritz that Colin Farrell is starring in Len Wiseman's (Underworld 1-2, Die Hard 4) Total Recall remake. Mortiz mentions the film starts production in May and won't be in 3D. While previously there had been talk of a non-Mars plot there still seems to be a futuristic take that could be interesting involving technological advances. I'm still on the fence about the reboot but it could end up fun.

Colin Farrell Offered Total Recall

Variety reports that Colin Farrell has been offered the lead role in Len Wiseman's Total Recall reboot. The film will be contemporary and it will use the story from Philip K Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale". Instead of it just influencing like the original did with it which had little connection to Dick's story. Let's just pray theres enough action for us to forget the lack of science fiction and Mars. Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender were also contenders but I expect they might be up for supporting roles in the film.

Colin Farrell Starring In Total Recall?

HeatVision reports that Len Wiseman's (Underworld, Die Hard 4) Total Recall reboot could get it's new Douglas. They say that Colin Farrell is the front-runner for the role previously portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Tom Hardy (Max Mad 4, Batman 3, Inception) and Michael Fassbender (300, Inglourious Basterds, X-Men: Fist Class) have also been in talks for the role. This wouldn't be Farrell's first jump into the world of Philip K. Dick he had a small role in Minority Report which was based on Dick's work. I'm just curious if they'll water this version down to PG-13 since they've already mentioned not going to Mars. I hope there is still science fiction involved because if there is lack of action like the extreme violence of the original film I'm not sure people will like this. The Adjustment Bureau another Dick adaptation looks like it's beyond generic so I'm nervous to support this remake. The worst thing they could do is make this a by the numbers PG-13 action film without heavy science fiction elements like Mars.

Len Wiseman Directing Total Recall Reboot

Sony has announced that Underworld co-creator/director Len Wiseman will direct the Total Recall reboot. Most people might be scared off by Wiseman's involvement but I'm excited to see him test out his directing-chops in the science fiction action genre. Let's just hope this gets more movement than Darren Aronofsky's Robocop.