The 1990 film Total Recall was a big moment in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. Before this, he was known for action movies like Commando and The Running Man. His role as Douglas Quaid in Total Recall showed he could handle a smart sci-fi thriller.
The film was based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. The movie was a hit, and Carolco Pictures wanted a sequel. Director Paul Verhoeven and the writers were interested in adapting another story by Philip K. Dick: Minority Report.
Philip K. Dick’s stories were always challenging to adapt into films. The 1982 film Blade Runner, based on his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, had a difficult production. It did not perform well at the box office but later became a cult classic.
Total Recall also had production problems at first. Patrick Swayze was originally cast as Quaid, but the project was canceled when producer Dino De Laurentiis went bankrupt. Schwarzenegger stepped in and helped bring the movie to Carolco Pictures. The success of Total Recall renewed interest in Dick’s stories, and Minority Report seemed like a natural choice for a sequel.
A Sequel to Total Recall Was Already Set Up
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, sequels were becoming more common in Hollywood. Some franchises like The Godfather and Star Wars had successful follow-ups, but many sequels failed to match the original films. According to Tales from Development Hell by David Hughes, Total Recall co-writer Gary Goldman wanted to turn Minority Report into a low-budget movie and direct it himself.
The 1956 story is about a future where a special police force uses psychic individuals, called “precogs,” to predict crimes before they happen. This idea had similarities to Total Recall, which also shows themes of reality and control.
Goldman wanted to bring Paul Verhoeven on board as an executive producer to add credibility to the project. However, Verhoeven had a different idea. He saw the potential to turn Minority Report into a Total Recall sequel instead.
The first film ended with Quaid’s victory over the corrupt leader of Mars, Vilos Cohaagen. However, the movie left some questions unanswered. One scene showed a mutant child predicting Quaid’s birthday, hinting at psychic abilities on Mars. A sequel could have expanded on this idea, with Quaid leading a new organization that prevents crimes using psychics.
Goldman explained in Tales from Development Hell that Verhoeven wanted to make a sequel that felt fresh instead of just repeating the original. Years earlier, Verhoeven had turned down RoboCop 2 because he believed it needed more time to develop a better story.
A Total Recall sequel using the Minority Report premise would have included the fast-paced action and intense chase scenes of the first film. However, it would have focused more on trust in a flawed system rather than Quaid questioning his identity.
Carolco’s Bankruptcy Stopped Total Recall 2
By 1994, Total Recall 2 was moving forward with Schwarzenegger, Verhoeven, Goldman, and original co-writer Ron Shusett all involved. Schwarzenegger needed another big hit after Last Action Hero had disappointing results. He was excited to work with Verhoeven again, not just on Total Recall 2 but also on another planned movie called Crusade, an epic war film that was never made.
Despite these plans, Carolco Pictures faced financial trouble. The studio had spent too much money on films, and the failure of Cutthroat Island in 1994 led to bankruptcy. As a result, Total Recall 2 was canceled.
After Carolco shut down, the project was sold to Miramax. However, the Minority Report story was no longer attached. The rights to Minority Report went back to Goldman and Shusett. Eventually, the project moved to 20th Century Fox, where director Jan de Bont, known for Speed, became interested in making it. However, after his 1999 film The Haunting failed, he lost the job.
Steven Spielberg then took over the project, bringing a different vision to Minority Report. His version starred Tom Cruise and leaned more into a dark, detective-style story similar to Blade Runner rather than the action-packed style of Total Recall.
A Total Recall Sequel Might Have Been a Mistake
The idea of a Total Recall sequel based on Minority Report sounded exciting. However, it may have been better that it never happened. The original Total Recall succeeded because it made the audience question what was real.
The film shows whether Quaid was experiencing a true adventure or just a memory implant. The ambiguous ending kept fans debating for years. A sequel might have removed that mystery by providing too many answers.
The open-ended nature of Total Recall is similar to John Carpenter’s The Thing, which also left audiences with an uncertain ending. This approach keeps people discussing the film long after watching it. If a sequel had been made, it might have ruined the mystery that made the first movie special.
Even though Schwarzenegger never got to make Total Recall 2, his career remained strong. He went on to star in other major films, including True Lies and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Meanwhile, Minority Report became a successful film on its own. It was praised for its unique vision of the future and thought-provoking themes.
While it is fun to imagine what a Total Recall sequel could have looked like, some stories are better left as they are. The original film continues to be a sci-fi classic, leaving fans with an unforgettable journey into the unknown.
