While the two female lead roles in Len Wiseman’s Total Recall remake may not exactly be the most high-proile/in-demand right now, a slew of noteworthy actresses have already tested for the parts. It now looks like the director has found his leading lady in the familiar shape of Kate Beckinsale – his wife and the star of his two Underworld movies.
Beckinsale has been offered (but not yet accepted) the role of Lori, wife to Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), a fellow whose dreams of life on Mars (excuse the pun) may (or may not) be more than just wild fantasies.
Deadline has confirmed that Beckinsale is the frontrunner for the part, which was played by a pre-Basic Instinct Sharon Stone in Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 Total Recall movie (with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Quaid). Eva Mendes (Ghost Rider) and Rosario Dawson (Sin City) are said to be the top contenders for the other lead female role – that of Melina, a woman who teams up with the Quaid character on his possibly imagined Mars adventure.
Stone’s role as Quaid’s seemingly benign trophy wife-turned girlfriend of the thug Richter (Michael Ironside) in Verhoeven’s Total Recall jump-started the actresses career some two decades ago. By comparison, Beckinsale in the role would naturally lend more star power to Wiseman’s new film.
Chances are also good that the remake won’t feature a scene between she and Farrell that plays out like the showdown between Stone and Schwarzenegger in Verhoeven’s flick (NOTE: this clip has some NSFW violence):
On a more serious note: the new cinematic incarnation of Total Recall will bear a stronger resemblance to Philip K. Dick’s original short story, “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale,” and is going to feature fan favorite Bryan Cranston as a villain. Whether that means Beckinsale will play girlfriend to Cranston’s character or if the Breaking Bad star is up to play a different bad guy is not yet clear – but we’ll find out soon enough.
Wiseman’s Total Recall will definitely borrow a few tricks from Inception‘s playbook – and with Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium, Ultraviolet) being the fellow who is mainly responsible for scripting the film, the existential sci-fi elements of the story should be all the less subtle, for better or for worse. The movie could turn out to be just a convoluted mess, but there’s potential for it to be a slick and exciting futuristic action pic as well. Per usual, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Total Recall is scheduled to hit theaters on August 3rd, 2012.
Source: Deadline
Ryan Reynolds Drops Out of 'Highlander' Reboot 
No Loki in 'Avengers 2' 
'Man of Steel' Director & Writer on What Has to Happen in 'Man of Steel 2' 
'Man of Steel' Ending Controversy 
This is definitely one remake that I don’t think should happen…Colin Ferrell? Come on. I don’t expect that this movie could or will do any better than the original. Just a waste.
What the hell is wrong with Colin Farrell? He’s ten times the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger ever dreamed of being. I like that they actually hired an actor first, rather than some big dude like Arnold who can do the action, but can’t act worth a damn.
I agree, Joe. Colin Farrell is a good actor. Like any actor, he needs the right role. Maybe a role here is good for him, or maybe it’s not. Time will tell. The things need to fall into place, the stars need to align and so on…
I recently saw him in a small movie called “Ondine,” in which he does a good job playing an Irish fisherman who, one day, catches a woman in his fishnet. And I’m one of the few who also liked the movie “Miami Vice,” and thought he was the right person for the role.
But, anyway, I don’t want to see any Total Recall remake. It’s unnecessary, as most remakes are. But I agree with you, that it’s good to go with someone who can act and try to make them a new style of hero, rather than go for the big, brawny guy who can’t act. That is very 1980s-ish.
What exactly makes you call Colin Ferrell an actor? I never compared him to Arnold by the way and didn’t say Arnold was a great actor either. All I’m saying is wrong part for wrong actor that’s all…
Look at all the movie Ferrell has been in that have ben bad remakes of successful movies or TV series, what ever makes you think he can pull off this one. He over acts half the time and thinks his brooding scowl is some sort of emotion.
“While the two female lead roles in Len Wiseman’s Total Recall remake may not exactly be the most high-proile/in-demand right now, a slew of noteworthy actresses have already tested for the parts.”
LOL! You just contradicted your own statement. You claim it “may not exactly be the most high-proile/in-demand right now,” but you then go on to say a slew of actresses have lined up for these roles.
The lead roles in this film are very high-profil and very in-demand. Why the snide statement? If it wasn’t one of the most in-demand roles, there wouldn’t be anyone auditioning for the parts.
Well, basically what I said was: the Total Recall female lead roles may not be the most high-profile/in-demand right now (since the remake isn’t really a surefire blockbuster), but a number of noteworthy actresses are still interested in signing on.
I’m not seeing the contradiction – if anything, I’m implying that the roles look good and that’s why some big name actresses are interested.
Nice try, though.
Don’t feel bad Joe I interpreted what he said to mean that; If you want to work today this is the kind of material that’s getting made today. So it’s try your hand at this or wait for something you’d rather do. Of course it means longer stints between paydays, so, make your choice. I know it seems a strange way of interpreting what he said, but I think he’s endeavoring to be politically correct.
I would watch Kate Beckinsale read straight from an owners manual of a Yugo.
And then go back and watch it again. And buy the Blue Ray extended version with deleted scenes.
What?? She’s hot!
I don’t know what a Yugo is but I’ll be right behind you on the checkout counter with the same stuff you are getting :p
Yes! She is hot!
“I don’t know what a Yugo is”
Burn. Nautis is old. Wait … that means I’m old too … CRAP!
How about a pinto?!?!
… dang.. I’m old too
She could read from a Chevette manual too.
hell yeaa shes smokinggggg
Kate Beckinsale can play any role she wants, for as long as she is wearing tight clothing. Go “Underworld IV”!
I´d prefer her with no clothes at all… But since that´s never gonna happen, I go with your suggestion…
Oh, wait! She was topless in “The House of the Spirits”… Hhhhmmmmmmmm. House Of The Spirits…
dont forget you get some titage in the second Underworld also
What’s House of Spirits? She was never in a movie called HOS. If you’re referring to Haunted she had body double in that.
What was wrong with original that they need to remake it?
Think this is just another money grab by hollywood. To their credit though, they claim they’re going to stay closer to the source material so it might have enough of a different feel to it that it won’t feel like a cheap remake.
Exactly, foopher.
Another unnecessary remake. Don’t they have some board game, or annually televised parade they can greenlight, sight unseen?
I was going to say it’s yet another 1980s movie up for an unnecessary remake, but it came out in 1990. But it does feel like a 1980s movie, no surprise given its proximity to the 80s. But I digress…
Hollywood is so greedy and lazy. Aren’t marketers paid big bucks to, um, market a movie? If an original idea comes your way, figure out a solution…
Oh man… I’m calling it right here: The Rose Bowl Parade movie!
Vic
@ Vic,
Lol…
On the FOR side are the reasons:
1. Audiences have become more SciFi consumerist and can appreciate and will consume a noticeably better version.
2. Someone sold a good script with a name or two behind it.
3. The original didn’t represent the book well enough leaving room for a reinterpretation.
4. The original isn’t making enough money.
3. They got Mars all wrong in the original and the science community makes fun of them behind their backs.
Actually reason number five is the real reason they’re remaking it…
I think Colin Ferrell is as lame as it gets. But Kate Beckinsale? She is perfect. I would probably see this movie just to see her….wait, is that lame, too? Oh well, shes as hot as they come.
I think Colin Farrell is a brilliant actor. Sure he’s been in a couple of turkeys (Daredevil, Alexander) but plenty of great actors have too. He was really great in inBruges, London avenue, Minority report etc…
How come this guy keeps casting his own wife? (I don’t think he can let her out of his sight) Actually, she’d be great too.
I don’t mind them remaking this film, the original was okay, but not a classic like Robocop.
Mmmhhhhmmmmmm. Kate Beckinsale.
Ah, Hollywood gives me yet another opportunity to say: Ah, nepotism. Isn’t it grand?
So a director casts his wife in leading role in his upcoming movie? How sweet. I’m sure it’s strictly a coincidence that out of all the actresses out there in the world, his wife is the best one. Bet she didn’t even have to audition.
Nepotism has to go… whether it’s in Hollywood, in a non-descript corporate office building in the middle of nowhere, or on a college campus. I’m tired of nepotism and virtually any other form of favoritism.
Yeah, I meant “London Boulevard”.
Damn my crappy memory
As long as Schwarzenegger is nowhere to be seen or heard in this film, it should do quite well. The effects should be most impressive, and millions of times better. The more Schwarzenegger is removed from otherwise great story ideas, the better.
The real question, who will be playing Kuato?
I have an idea for which character Kate Beckinsale could play…see there’s this scene in the bar called The Last Resort in VenusVille and there’s this one working girl who had three…
Kate Beckinsale in 3D… with three boobs!
Yeeeeessss!
exactly, that’s the role she needs to audition for just paste on that paper mache extra tit and let the fun begin
Of course, if she auditions, they must see her other two.
Colin Farrell is a bad, bad idea.
What is happening with Hollywood, fresh out of new fil ideas, I mean come on do we really need a Total Recall remake, what was wrong with the first one……
It didn’t have Kate Beckinsale. :p :p