Total Recall spot is still in the chair

Sony Pictures has posted a new TV spot for its upcoming science fiction reboot of the classic Total Recall.

As you may recall from the original film, the story is intended to be somewhat of a bit of a mind-bender, with the audience never really figuring out which of the many possible stories is true for the protagonist, as everyone in the tale is trying to sell him a different version of himself.

This spot focuses on the dilemmas the protagonist is forced to face, not knowing what is real, and gives us a couple new bits of scenes, including one that shows Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen getting his hands dirty fighting with the protagonist, and in the last moment of the trailer, we get a glimps of what looks like a strange, non-lethal weapon, but you’ll miss it if you blink:

While the previous adaptation of the material with Arnold Schwarzenegger, decided to tone down the cerebral nature of the tale, and limit itself to only one major twist, the new film seems to pull more twisty punches.

In general, it seems like the reboot will be focusing more on the actual dilemma, and using it to advance the plot, rather than  as a vehicle for a frenetic action and firefights.  Of course, how it stacks up to the original film or the short story remains to be seen, of course.

The official synopsis is thus:

Total Recall is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story ‘We Can Remember It For You Wholesale’ by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories.

For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) 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 (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world—Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

And here’s the most recent theatrical trailer:

Total Recall hits theaters on August 3, 2012.