It is really hard to take a franchise away from what made it a success, especially when most people consider the lead actor the pivotal piece of the franchise. Yet that was the task of The Bourne Legacy, which was comfortable swapping lead actors, but not in giving that actor billing in the title.

From the Box Office perspective the risk paid-off as the Damonless sequel managed a very respectable $40+ Million in its opening weekend. The Bourne Legacy actually preformed on par with the first two Bourne films, it fell way off the heights of the last film, but with all the factors playing against the movie that has to be considered a major win.

Coming in third was, the also strong performing, The Campaign which pulled in $27 Million. The number looks small for a Will Ferrell summer comedy, but when you take into consideration the film is R-rated and it has a political subject matter, the film did really well. Most of the time R-rated comedies do not do Ted numbers, and political campaign films rarely make much money, so again context makes this weekend look like a win for the studio.

In its third week of release The Dark Knight Rises once again trumps all competition to reign supreme in the Box Office battlefield. Honestly, I could have written that sentence two years ago it was such a forgone conclusion.

Bringing in another $36 Million over the weekend, the final Nolan Batman film managed to ease a soft 41% after last week’s rather steep decline. The solid hold helps establish the film third on many of the all time box office speed records.

Unfortunately for the movie, almost across the board it is third to the only two films people want to compare it to, The Avengers and The Dark Knight. It is possible that the movie can climb into the top seven or eight all time and still have a tiny shade of disappointment. Thus is the magic of context.

The more we see of the Total Recall reboot the more it’s starting to look pretty decent. And let’s face it, even though the orignal Arnold version was fun and has become somewhat of a cult classic, it isn’t exactly a great movie.

We love it for its campy acting, over-the-top violence and, let’s face it, for the chick with the three boobs. This new one looks to take things a bit more seriously and make it all a bit darker. We don’t have a problem with that.

There’s a new clip from the movie out today featuring star Colin Farrell. We’ve got it for you after the break. Before that, in case you’re not familiar with the new movie’s story, here’s how it goes:

For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Farrell), 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 Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter to find the head of the underground resistance and stop Cohaagen.

Look for Total Recall to hit theaters on August 3rd.

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.

Previously, we brought you a teaser for the reboot of Total Recall, another big movie vying for your hard earned dollar this Summer. Now, the Internets have graced us with the international trailer for the movie and, of course, we’re gonna share.

For those of you new to the “new” Total Recall, here’s 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.

As our own Jonathan Weilbaecher put it previously: “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.”

Let’s hope he’s right. Check out the trailer after the break. Look for Total Recall to hit theaters on August 3.

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.

Not to be confused with the upcoming remake, this week’s pick is Paul Verhoeven’s classic sci-fi action film Total Recall (1990). It is based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel We Can Remember it for You Wholesale and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a man trying to piece together who he really is on Mars in the year 2084. Noted for his unique blend of violence, extreme sexual situations, and gore, Verhoeven pulls no stops with Total Recall.

In the film Schwarzenegger stars as Doug Quaid, an everyday guy who has nightmare visions concerning the planet Mars that for some time has been colonized by humans. Disenfranchised with his work and everyday grind, Doug decides to visit a company called Rekall that sells memory implantations that makes you feel as if you have really taken a vacation without actually going anywhere.

While at Rekall, Doug is persuaded by the manager to purchase what is referred to as an “ego trip” where you assume the role of a particular individual. Quaid is intrigued and selects the persona of a secret agent who is on a mission to save Mars.

Robocop is finally getting an upgrade. After months of rumors,  it looks like MGM has finally found their leading man for the upcoming Robocop remake. With potential stars ranging from Michael Fassbender to Russell Crowe, they finally decided on Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman to play the cyborg police officer.

According to Deadline.com, MGM has made an official offer to Kinnaman, who is best known for his roles in AMC’s The Killing and in the Denzel Washington/Ryan Reynolds thriller Safe House.

In the ultra-violent 1987 original, Peter Weller played officer Alex J. Murphy, who is brutally gunned down in the line of duty. In this futuristic version of Detroit, crime has gotten out of control and the normal police can’t stop the criminals. After the privatized police department resurrects him as a half-man, half-machine cop, Murphy is haunted by his human memories while facing both a sadistic criminal syndicate, as well as a corrupt corporate board.

Not that we are in any way endorsing the reboot/remake of Total Recall but with two hot actresses now joining the cast, we have to at least mention it. So, here it is. With Colin Farrell already taking over the role originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film and Bryan Cranston onboard as the evil nemesis, the next question has always been who would be playing the female leads?

Well, now we know. Kate Beckinsale has officially been cast as Lori, the bitchy wife of Douglas Quaid (Farrell) in the “real” world, while Jessica Biel will play sleazy and demure Melina, the woman he meets in his “other” life as a spy. The roles were played by Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin in the 1990 original.

In addition to the women, Heat Vision says Bill Nighy has landed the part of Quatto, the leader of the resistance movement. So, with Beckensale and Nighy in place that’s quite an Underworld reunion director Len Wiseman’s got going on. Oh well, he is in charge and if my wife was that hot I would probably cast her in my movies too.

I do have a question about Quatto though. Will he be a mutant and will he lead a resistance? According to reports, the new version of the story will not take place on Mars like Philip K. Dick’s original or the 1990 film.

You might have expected this considering her husband, Len Wiseman, is the director. However, news has come out that Kate Beckinsale has been offered one of the lead female roles opposite Colin Farrell in the Sony Pictures remake/reboot of Total Recall.

According to the report, Beckensale would play Lori, the role made famous by Sharon Stone in the original. In that film, Lori is the happy wife of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger ) who, after Quaid begins to discover things are not what they seem, changes into someone who tries to kill him.

The other main female role of Melina (played in the original by Rachel Ticotin) is also reportedly still up for grabs with Eva Mendes and Rosario Dawson as the apparent front runners. Of those two I think I would prefer Dawson, although Mendes wouldn’t be a bad choice either.

In case you’re not familiar with the story of the original Total Recall film, it’s based on Philip K. Dick’s story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” and centers on Quaid, a seemingly unsophisticated construction worker, who is haunted by a recurring dream of going to Mars.

He buys a literal dream vacation from a company called Rekall Inc., which sells implanted memories. It turns out he is a freedom fighter from Mars who has been relocated to Earth, and he must restore order, and reverse the corrupt influence that commercial powers had over the red planet.

We don’t know if the new film will follow that storyline as well but you can imagine it will be similar. Look for the new, improved Total Recall to hit theaters in August of 2012.