He learned his lesson making Predator in Mexico a year earlier when he got sick from drinking tap water. Verhoeven even had an ambulance on standby at one point. Schwarzenegger survived because he had all his meals catered from the U.S. The film was shot in Mexico City to take advantage of its futuristic look and everyone but Schwarzenegger and Shusett fell violently ill from food poisoning during production. It was also one of the first major movies to use CGI (for the X-ray scene).Ħ. Total Recall was one of the last major Hollywood blockbusters to make large-scale use of miniature effects as opposed to CGI. By the time Verhoeven got his hands on the script, it had been re-written 40 times.ĥ. He came up with the idea of mutants on Mars and created the character of Kuato.Ĥ. Writer/producer Ron Shusett told him he wanted "Raiders of the Lost Ark Goes to Mars." Cronenberg's legacy does live on in the film, however. Cronenberg worked on the script for a year, but was told his adaptation was too close to the original story. Cronenberg wanted William Hurt to be his Quaid.ģ. Directors came and went as well, including Richard Rush, Bruce Beresford, and David Cronenberg. Richard Dreyfuss, Jeff Bridges, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Swayze, and Christopher Reeve were all considered at different times. At different points during Total Recall's gestation, different actors were attached or rumored to be attached to the lead role of Doug Quaid, which would go to Schwarzenegger. Here are 25 facts you never knew about the film and its production:Ģ. So let's celebrate Total Recall's 30th anniversary. His presence made Recall a must-see, but it was Verhoeven who made it memorable. I cannot overstate how huge The Governator was at the time, both figuratively and literally. But more than those Wikipedia facts, Total Recall penetrated the mainstream in typical Schwarzenegger fashion. It would earn over $260 million worldwide and collect two Oscar nominations (Sound, Sound Editing). Passed around between studios for years, Total Recall was finally released in June of 1990. Director Paul Verhoeven, as he tends to do, infused the movie with a fun, but still menacing, tone, and Schwarzenegger, well, he does what he does. Dick short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, the movie is part sci-fi mind bender, part bloody action thriller, and part camp classic. Seriously, Total Recall is amazing stuff.
I'm thinking Terminator 2, The Terminator, Predator, and then Total Recall, with apologies to Commando and Twins. In the pantheon of Schwarzenegger flicks, Recall sits close to the top. It certainly wasn't for the Nintendo game, which was terrible. Maybe it's when Arnold Schwarzenegger uses that cannon fodder bad guy as a human shield that I first fell in love with Total Recall.