Ethan Hawke is set to join Columbia’s “Total Recall” remake, starring Colin Farrell, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) has already been announced as the villain, while Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel are in discussions with the studio for the two female leads.
Hawke”s role is being kept under wraps for now.
The film, directed by Len Wiseman (“Underworld,” “Live Free or Die Hard”), is based on the short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by beloved SF author Philip K. Dick, whose novels and stories have inspired “Blade Runner,” “Minority Report,” “Payback” and other films.
The story was the basis for the original 1990 film that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone and took place on a futuristic Mars.
The new film will be set on Earth, in a future where imperialist nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai are in the middle of a bloody war. Blue collar worker Douglas Quaid (Farrell) is led to believe he is actually a highly-trained spy in deep cover, but he can’t recall which side he’s supposed to be fighting for.
“Total Recall” is scheduled to begin shooting in June in Toronto.
Hawke was recently seen in “Daybreakers” and “Brooklyn’s Finest,” but is probably best known for playing the rookie cop opposite Denzel Washington in 2001’s “Training Day.”
He’ll soon be seen in “Exit Strategy,” directed by “Training Day” and “Brooklyn’s Finest” helmer Antoine Fuqua. Hawke is also currently shooting an untitled project with director and frequent collaborator Richard Linklater (“Before Sunrise,” “Tape”).