If it weren’t for the fact that writer/director Martin McDonagh is every bit as handsome as his favorite leading man, you’d think he was going down the Woody Allen vanity route, casting Colin Farrell as his obvious surrogate—a screenwriter named Marty M—in his second feature film, Seven Psychopaths. Fellow Irishman Farrell was also the star of McDonagh’s 2008 sleeper hit In Bruges, which also wove its story around a band of incompetent low-level criminals who accidentally get into the crosshairs of a big time criminal sociopath, played very winningly in that first film by a rewardingly cast-against-type Hugh Grant.

The tone of Psychopaths feels very much the same as Bruges in that Farrell again plays a likable fuck-up (this time an alcoholic screenwriter who is finding it hard to produce a follow-up to his first success) whose loser friend Billy (Sam Rockwell, playing very much TO type here) makes his living through a sloppy dog kidnapping operation that he runs with his mysterious elderly pal Hans (Christopher Walken). Unfortunately, Billy nabs a cute little Shih Tzu who happens to be the darling of his owner, mafia overlord Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson), and thus begins the chase. A shaggy dog story, indeed.

The original Total Recall is a classic in most senses of the word. Paul Verhoeven’s original film might have taken liberties with the source material, but it exceeded as a sci-fi action extravaganza. The remake hopes to capitalizes on the original film’s name brand, while adapting a story more close to the Philip K. Dick story that inspired both films.

In most of the marketing thus far we have seen hints of familiarity with the 80’s classic, but this new trailer all pretense seems to have been shed. Even though the film is purported to be a more faithful adaptation, the film clearly is taking a lot of its cues from the previous movie.

Even though there are many more parallels exposed in this new trailer, the movie still looks like a slick and handsome sci-fi actioner. The cast is beyond solid, we know the story is a stand out, and the effects work looks to be as competent as you could ask for. Even if Total Recall doesn’t turn into a classic, the trailer suggests it will at least be an adequate summer adventure.

You can check out the full trailer after the jump, and if it sells you, Total Recall hits cinemas later this summer.

Ok, what the heck happened! Why are there suddenly official teasers for upcoming teasers. Seriously, we are getting official commercials for commercials now. It really begs the question ‘what’s the point?’.

Of course the flip side of that is we do get to see our first glimpse of the updated, re-adapted version of Total Recall a week ahead of the first actual teaser. For those of you new to the movie, here is the synopsis:

For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid, even though he’s got a beautiful wife who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen, the leader of the free world 

This new version of Total Recall is exactly how you handle a modern remake. You taken the source material, and give your creative team’s the chance to adapted it in their own way, in their own style. We will no doubt get a film that feels in some ways similar to the ’80’s classic, but it should also feel new and alive in it’s own way.

Check  out the teaser for the trailer after the jump.