Colin Farrell cast in 'Total Recall' remake

(AFP PHOTO / CRISTINA QUICLER)

A remake of the 1990 sci-fi film Total Recall will star Colin Farrell ( Crazy Heart, In Bruges), replacing the original star Arnold Schwarzenegger, producer Neal Moritz told Collider.com.

Set in a future world that is overcrowded with overbuilt high-tech cities, a man goes for a virtual vacation to the planet Mars, when a horrible series of events force him to head to the planet for real - or does he?

The film more closely follows the original story by Philip K. Dick, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," he said. The director is Len Wiseman ( Live Free or Die Hard).

The original Total Recall was directed by Paul Verhoeven ( Basic Instinct, Robocop).

The film starts shooting May 15 for release in 2012.

In 2011, Farrell is set to star in the comedy Horrible Bosses with Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey, and the horror film Fright Night with Christopher Mintz-Plasse ( How To Train Your Dragon), Anton Yelchin ( Star Trek) and David Tennant ( Dr. Who).

He also signed on for the actor Brendan Gleeson's production of At Swim-Two Birds with Cillian Murphy ( Inception) and Michael Fassbender ( Inglourious Basterds).

RC