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The evolution of filmmaking spanning the past 50 years has been drastic. An actress as accomplished as Scarlett Johansson would obviously be aware of those changes while picking out potential scripts and sniffing out critical hits. And among all the actors whose films would be worthy of being rebooted or remade, there couldnʼt be a more affluent actor than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Total Recall (1990) [Credit: Sony Pictures]

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone in Paul VerhoevenʼsTotal Recall(1990) [Credit: Sony Pictures]However, even for the biggest star of the late 20th century, thePredatorstar made some ambitiously bad choices that his long and illustrious history as an actor, politician, and philanthropist can’t erase. Fortunately, Johanssonʼs need to establish herself in her own space rather than gain success by walking in someone elseʼs shadow saved her from falling into the trappings of the remake curse.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Vs Colin Farrell –Total Recall

Movie stars of the late 20th century walked so the ones in the early 21st century could run. But forArnold SchwarzeneggerandScarlett Johansson, their overlapping fate almost made it difficult to separate right from wrong. For Schwarzenegger, the movie that added a notch to his belt and was right for his time went wrong when adapted for a remake in Johanssonʼs career arc as a rising star.

Arnold Schwarzenegger inTotal Recall[Credit: Sony Pictures]The 1990 Paul Verhoeven film,Total Recall, adapted from Philip K. Dickʼs 1966 short story,We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, was a product of its time. The combination ofTerminatorstar,Basic Instinctactress, andRoboCopdirector in an era of sci-fi domination madeTotal Recallalmost a preordained box-office success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall [Credit Sony Pictures]

“Everyone undervalued her talents”: Sharon Stone’s Incredible Looks from Total Recall Has Fans Convinced She Was the Perfect Barbie Actor Before Margot Robbie

However, the 2012 reboot starringColin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Beckinsale was not only weak in its foundation but failed to bring alive the charm of the ʼ90s film. Moreover, the lack of originality in the remake made it a lazy attempt at mimicking Schwarzeneggerʼs box-office success. As such, the actor, in a2020GQinterview, was right in mocking Farrellʼs remake saying:

“They tried to copy it. Someone tried to do a remake of it. How stupid is that? I mean, Jesus!”

“Everyone undervalued her talents”: Sharon Stone’s Incredible Looks from Total Recall Has Fans Convinced She Was the Perfect Barbie Actor Before Margot Robbie

Colin Farrell inTotal Recall(2012) [Credit: Sony Pictures]When the offer came about for the 2012 film, Scarlett Johansson was already committed to the Marvel franchise. The filming ofThe Avengersthen clashed with that ofTotal Recalland even though scheduling conflicts posed a barrier in accepting the Schwarzenegger remake,Avengersessentially saved Scarlett Johansson from relapsing into obscurity with one wrong call.

AvengersSaved Scarlett Johansson From a Horrible Fate

Scarlett Johansson in the MCU as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow [Credit: Marvel Studios]TheTotal Recallremake offer came at a fairly advantageous time forAvengersstar Scarlett Johansson, given her contractual commitment to Marvel. But the story simply does not end there. When Kevin Feige laid down the groundwork for the MCU, the Original Six who would go on to form the Avengers was a prerequisite to secure the studioʼs future. As such, the Black Widowʼs addition to the team was inevitable from the beginning.

However, fates weaved their yarn whenEmily Blunt– the studioʼs first choice – turned it down and the role landed in the waiting hands of Scarlett Johansson. In the 11 years that followed since her debut inRobert Downey Jr.ʼsIron Man 2, the actress immortalized Natasha Romanoff until her very last appearance in the aptly titled solo featureBlack Widow(2021).

Total Recall(1990) is available for streaming on MGM+ and Paramount+ while the Colin Farrell remake is available for streaming on Netflix.

Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012) [Credit Sony Pictures]

Diya Majumdar

Senior Writer

Articles Published :2409

Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.

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Arnold SchwarzeneggerScarlett JohanssonTotal Recall

Scarlett Johansson in the MCU as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow [Credit Marvel Studios]