Editing Total Recall (1990 film) (section)

===Early development===
The development of ''Total Recall'' began in 1974, when producer [[Ronald Shusett]] purchased the adaptation rights to science fiction writer [[Philip K. Dick]]'s 1966 short story "[[We Can Remember It for You Wholesale]]" for $1,000.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="DOGCast"/>{{sfn|Hughes|2012|pp=60–61}}{{sfn|Murray|1990|p=52}}{{sfn|Murray|1990b|p=30}}}} Shusett had read the 23-page story by the then-little-known pulp fiction writer in an April 1966 edition of ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction]]''.{{sfn|Hughes|2012|pp=60–61}} Dick's story depicts a meek clerk on Earth named Quail who visits Rekal Incorporated to receive a memory implant of being a secret agent on Mars. However, the process uncovers his true identity as a secret agent who previously visited Mars and whose death will bring about an alien invasion.{{sfn|Hughes|2012|p=61}}<ref name="WiredPKD"/>

Renaming it ''Total Recall'', Shusett worked with [[Dan O'Bannon]] to write the script. O'Bannon exhausted the existing material quickly, and the short story's abrupt ending meant he could only write thirty pages, effectively only the first act, and an original second and third act were needed; he suggested sending Quaid to Mars.{{sfn|Hughes|2012|p=61}} Shusett and O'Bannon disagreed over the third act, the former wanting something more dramatic. O'Bannon's ending revealed the handprint on the alien machine as Quaid's, who is a replica of the original, and placing his hand on it grants him total memory recall. O'Bannon described the filmed ending as "lame".{{sfn|Hughes|2012|p=62}}<ref name="XRating1"/> Dick read the script prior to his death in 1982 and, according to O'Bannon, enjoyed it.{{sfn|Murray|1990b|p=72}} Although studios deemed Shusett and O'Bannon's script an ambitious and brilliant idea, it was essentially considered unfilmable, in part because of the extensive special effects and high budget that would be required.{{sfn|Murray|1990|p=52}}{{sfn|Murray|1990b|p=30}}

The pair moved on to collaborating on the script for the science fiction horror film ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979), the success of which earned Shusett a development deal at [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]]. He pursued the ''Total Recall'' project at the studio, initially budgeted at $20{{nbsp}}million, but the idea did not progress because issues with the third act could not be resolved. The project was sold to [[Dino De Laurentiis]]'s [[De Laurentiis Entertainment Group]] (DEG) in 1982.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Murray|1990|p=52}}{{sfn|Murray|1990b|p=30}}<ref name="WiredPKD"/>{{sfn|Hughes|2012|p=62}}<ref name="LATimesDec1988"/>{{sfn|Roberts|1990|p=6}}}}