TOTAL RECALL: Paul Verhoeven, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Philip K. Dick Mind Trip | Sex + Violence

After the surprise success of ROBOCOP, Paul Verhoeven had officially made it to the A-list—and so it wasn’t long before Hollywood’s biggest star came knocking. Arnold Schwarzenegger, impressed by ROBOCOP’s mix of action and intelligence, personally recruited Verhoeven to direct his next film: TOTAL RECALL.

But the story of TOTAL RECALL doesn’t start there.

In this episode, we trace the film’s complex journey from its earliest incarnation as a Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett script—written in the same era as ALIEN—through a decade of rewrites, studio changes, and near-deaths in development hell. We break down how the film finally came together under Carolco Pictures, how Verhoeven put his stamp on the production, and how its mix of ultraviolence, mutant horror, and psychological ambiguity turned it into a sci-fi classic.

We also discuss the legacy of TOTAL RECALL, including the many attempts at a sequel—and the remake that couldn’t measure up.

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Coming Up:

TOTAL RECALL (1990)
BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
SHOWGIRLS (1995)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)

Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.