Although Len Wiseman is known to jump from project to project before actually finding one that he’ll direct (hence why he hasn’t made a film since Die Hard 4), it seems he’s discovered one that he’s ready to officially commit to, with Sony announcing that he’s in final negotiations to be behind-the-camera on their remake of Total Recall.
The film has been in the works since last year, with Kurt Wimmer on scripting duties and the studio promising a ‘new, contemporised adaptation of Total Recall, which was based on the story, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick’. There’s little more info on the films, or indeed whether it’ll be closer to the original story than the Arnie movie, which kept the basic elements but otherwise departed massively from its source, particularly at the end. Dick’s tale see a man going on an implanted vacation, but the virtual memories he gets of being a spy on Mars, unleash real memories of a similar secret past.
When he discovers physical evidence to support his claims, and that his impants haven’t just driven him nuts, he goes on the run.
Producer Neil Moritz commented, 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.
It’ll be interesting to see what Wiseman does, but it’s difficult to imagine the Underworld director improving on Paul Verhoreven’s 1990 version.