Director Len Wiseman’s remake of the 1990 film ”Total Recall” will begin filming at Pinewood Toronto in Canada, according to a report by The Toronto Star. The original movie — based on a story by Philip K. Dick and directed by Paul Verhoeven — was about a victim of mind-tampering who buys a dream vacation from a company that sells implanted memories and winds up on Mars, fighting a demented despot.
Sources say Pinewood Toronto has signed the deal with Columbia Pictures. According to Variety, Columbia has offered Colin Farrell the role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Edith Myers, who has been managing director of the studio since June 2009, has explained the need for the $200 million remake by explaining:
“We need to attract tent-pole movies — the kind that Toronto could not handle before this place was built,” says Myers, an optimistic wizard with a global vision. “We need to have projects that push the limits of filmmaking.”
She goes on to say that the government loan will help Pinewood Toronto Studios enhance its facilities with such perks as upgraded security and an improved exhaust system for such SFX gadgets as its smoke-making machinery.
Although no cast is yet officially confirmed (Though it sounds like Farrell is close to signing), production begins in March 2011.
