Colin Farrell Offered Lead Role in ‘Total Recall’

1990's R-Rated sci-fi adventure film Total Recall is another item on the infinitely growing list of remakes. Poised as a different retelling of Philip K. Dick’s short story and to be directed by Len Wiseman, Total Recall is on the verge of getting its new leading man.

Wiseman made public his wishes for Irish star Colin Farrell to star as construction worker Douglas Quaid three weeks ago and while growing stars Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender have been mentioned for the part, Sony has reportedly offered the gig to Farrell.

Variety has the exclusive that Farrell received the offer last week and is currently in negotiations with Sony for the role. Should he accept, Colin Farrell will be to Arnold Schwarzenegger (for Total Recall) what Karl Urban is to Sylvester Stallone (for Judge Dredd) in sci-fi/action remakes.

Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,” and tells the thought-provoking and imaginiative story of construction worker Douglas Quaid who frequently has vivid dreams of traveling to Mars. This inspires Quaid to purchase a virtual vacation to Mars (it’s the year 2084 and they can implant memories) and the process triggers memories for Quaid of who he really is. Now on the run and remembering he’s an agent named Hauser, Quaid makes his way to Mars meeting apparent friends and foes of old. But in the end, viewers are left wondering if it was all a big dream or a virtual memory.

The Total Recall remake is based on a script from Kurt Wimmer (Salt, Equilibrium) and Farrell’s addition to the cast would offer an entirely different set of character traits than Schwarzenegger brought audiences through his inter-planetary journey. Farrell’s profile and career has taken a positive turn in recent years with award-worthy performances in Crazy Heart and In Bruges to name just a few, and I’m sold on the idea of him as Wiseman’s leading man.

Stay tuned for more as we hear it on story and casting for Total Recall. Expect it to hit theaters in 2012.

Source: Variety

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Cameron Diaz Offered Part in ‘The Happytime Murders’

Beware all humans: The day of the puppets has come at last (or so it would seem from recent news out of Hollywood.) In addition to the star-studded Muppet film The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made, we have some potential blockbuster casting news on the dark comic puppet film The Happytime Murders.

As we wrote in our first description of the film in October, the movie “depicts an alternate reality where puppets are sentient beings that live alongside humans. The puppets exist as “second class citizens” to the humans, and when the cast of an 80s puppet TV show, ‘The Happytime Gang,’ begin to turn up dead, an alcoholic ex-cop puppet turned private detective must solve the murders with his human ex-partner.”

All in all, it’s a pretty intriguing premise, and something that I would definitely be interested in seeing. Then again, I could listen to the soundtrack to Avenue Q everyday and never get tired of it, so I’m probably the ideal target for this movie.

Considering the somewhat unusual nature of the movie, could it click with general audiences? Perhaps, if you add a legit A-list star like Cameron Diaz. According to Vulture, Diaz has been offered a role in the film. There is no word yet on whether she has read the script or made a decision either way, but it’s still an interesting piece of news. For one thing, it begs the question of who Diaz might be playing.

In most crime movies, there’s a femme fatale character — somebody who cozies up to the lead and throws a wrench into his plans. Smart money says the role Cameron Diaz was offered fits into that category. On the other hand, the writers may have flipped the script and made a woman the human ex-partner, in which case Diaz could be up for that part.

Whatever the case, it’s nice to see a big name attached to such a unique project. Vulture has some details on the script and it sounds like the filmmakers are really shooting for an R-rating. That’s good to hear. Sometimes, with all of the mundane sequels, remakes, and retreads, it feels like nobody in Hollywood is willing to take a chance with their movie. The Happytime Murders could be an awesome movie that bucks that trend.

Source: Vulture

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