I'm going to put forward an alternate version of TOTAL RECALL I've been mulling over these past few days. The script would be completely the same, I am only recasting roles for 2011. I have recast every character I can think of:
RAY STEVENSON as Douglas Quaid
I feel he would be perfect. He'd sell the jolly working stiff we meet at the beginning, and then be able to perfectly capture his horror and confusion as the world as he knows it - his life as he knows it - comes crashing down around him. Over the course of the film, he'd also unquestionably be able to pull off Quaid's evolution into full on action hero. I think he could embody that dichotomy better than Arnold, who to my mind always made for an unlikely construction worker. BTW: He would use his native accent
RACHEL WEISZ as Mrs Quaid
She'd be aces! Sweet, sinister, she can do it all
BRYAN CRANSTON as Construction Buddy (Who Sounds Like Danny Devito In The Original)
"You blabbed, Quaid! You blabbed about Mars!"
BILL MAHER as Recall Salesman
He's a good actor, and I think he'd sell the smarmy charm perfectly. Bill needs to return to acting in a big way, and a bit part like this would give him a chance to shine in a smaller role
OLIVIA THIRLBY as Recall Secretary
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS as Kuato
His bulk could hide a twin
BEN FOSTER as Mutant Bar Man
ASHRAF BARHOM as Benny the Cabby (I was going to cast Bill Maher in this role based on his time on DC CAB but thought he'd be better at Recall as the salesman)
"Hey man, I got FIVE kids to feed!"
CAMPBELL SCOTT as the villainous Cohagen
I can totally buy him as someone who'd asphyxiate the poor for profit
MELISSA GEORGE as Quaid's Martian Friend
She's great and deserves more exposure. She'd have excellent chemistry with Stevenson (and could handle herself in a fight)
last but not least Jason Isaacs as Richter
