I keep forgetting they’re remaking Total Recall.  Every time I read something about it, I have to back up and restart my memory.

You can scream about it being unnecessary, and I won’t disagree with you. But as remakes go, it’s shaping up to be kind of awesome, at least in its casting picks.

And today was the best one of all. According to Variety, Bryan Cranston has signed on to play mean, oxygen-depriving, memory-twisting crimelord Vilos Cohaagen.

Actually, Variety remains mum on the villain role.  It’s possible Kurt Wimmer has altered things, and we no longer have a bad guy named Vilos.    Remakes aren’t generally known for coloring too far outside the lines, but they do like to do wacky things like change names and little plot points.

Nevertheless…Bryan Cranston.  Come on, that’s awesome.  I can’t wait to see him outwit Colin Farrell, warp out his mind,  and then slap him around and send him back to his school days. Or order others to do it, anyway.  Vilos was more of a watcher, wasn’t he?

ETA: The Hollywood Reporter has the basic plot outline for the new Recall. Quite a bit has changed.  Color me wrong:

The new story involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn’t know for which side.

Cranston would play Vilos Cohaagen, the leader of Euromerica who, under the cover of protecting his people, is secretly readying an invasion of New Shanghai.

Well. At least it’s different?