Writing
Sep 17, 2026
Total Recall: Gary Goldman on high-concept that still hurts
Screenwriter Gary Goldman worked on Total Recall, a high-concept thriller where identity twists only matter if the protagonist's pain stays legible. Clever worlds collapse without a clear want.
Adaptation and original science fiction share a trap: explaining the premise instead of dramatizing the cost. Goldman's talk is useful anytime your script loves its rules more than its people.
Ask what the hero loses if the fantasy is true, and what they lose if it is not.
Go deeper on Kingdom of Dreams
- → EP 266: Gary Goldman on Total Recall
- → EP 238: Micho Robert Rutare on Micho Robert Rutare
- → EP 300: Danny Bilson on The Rocketeer
Browse more writer conversations in the Kingdom of Dreams archive.
Original Kingdom of Dreams craft take based on our conversation with screenwriter Gary Goldman (EP 266).