Claim: Jessica Biel has acted with other actors.

Total Recall is a 2012 American science-fiction action film directed by Len Wiseman . The screenplay by Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback was based on the 1990 film of the same name , which was inspired by the 1966 short story `` We Can Remember It for You Wholesale '' by Philip K. Dick . The film stars Colin Farrell , Kate Beckinsale , Jessica Biel , Bryan Cranston , Bokeem Woodbine , John Cho , and Bill Nighy . Unlike the first film and the short story , the setting is on a dystopian Earth , not Mars and has more political themes . The film blends American and Asian influences , notably in the settings and dominant populations of the two nation-states in the story : the United Federation of Britain -LRB- Western Europe -RRB- and the Colony -LRB- Australia -RRB- .   The film was first announced in 2009 and was released in North America on August 3 , 2012 , grossing over $ 198 million worldwide . The film received generally mixed reviews from critics . It received praise for its action sequences and acting but the film 's lack of humor , emotional subtlety , and character development drew some criticism .