Cinema has a long and complicated history with The Thing, and it's about to get even more complicated thanks to a new imagining of the now-classic tale.
Blumhouse and Universal are reportedly taking another stab at the property, with a new remake set to hit the big screen.
To refresh your memory, the various cinematic versions out there are based on John W. Campbell Jr.'s Who Goes There? — a 1938 novella that has spawned not only John Carpenter's famed 1982 film The Thing but 1951's The Thing from Another World and (unfortunately) the 2011 Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. project, The Thing.
Now adding to all this will apparently be another remake from Blumhouse/Universal, who this time will use a newly discovered novel-length version of Campbell's novella as their source material for another retelling.
In 2018, famed sci-fi writer/publisher John Betancourt announced the discovery of the novel-length version of Who Goes There?, and at the time, he launched a Kickstarter to fund the release of the novel-sized version, which arrived under the title Frozen Hell.
At the time, Betancourt explained,
In 1938, acclaimed science fiction author John W. Campbell published the novella Who Goes There?, about a team of scientists in Antarctica who discover and are terrorized by a monstrous, shape-shifting alien entity. The story would later be adapted into John Carpenter's iconic movie The Thing (following an earlier film adaptation in 1951). The published novella was actually an abridged version of Campbell's original story, called Frozen Hell, which had to be shortened for publication. The Frozen Hell manuscript remained unknown and unpublished for decades, and it was only recently rediscovered."
Frozen Hell expands the Thing story dramatically, giving vital backstory and context to an already incredible tale.
Now, as Bloody Disgusting points out, Betancourt has revealed the involvement of Blumhouse and Universal for the new cinematic remake.
"The movie will be from Universal and Blumhouse. Everyone is super excited about it, and it's being fast-tracked," Betancourt explained after an announcement was first made by producer Alan Donnes over on Facebook last week.
Donnes wrote, "It's OFFICIAL! I received my signed contract and first check! I am Executive Producing a remake of THE THING but with additional chapters of John Campbell's groundbreaking novel, Frozen Hell, that had been lost for decades. Now, for the first time ever, Campbell's full vision will be realized on the big screen. The new film will include the very best of RKO's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, John Carpenter's classic THE THING and both books, Frozen Hell and Who Goes There?"
At this point, that's all we know about the upcoming project, and we're even unsure what the title the film may be or who may be sitting in the director's chair. So stay tuned.
Blumhouse and Universal are reportedly taking another stab at the property, with a new remake set to hit the big screen.
To refresh your memory, the various cinematic versions out there are based on John W. Campbell Jr.'s Who Goes There? — a 1938 novella that has spawned not only John Carpenter's famed 1982 film The Thing but 1951's The Thing from Another World and (unfortunately) the 2011 Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. project, The Thing.
Now adding to all this will apparently be another remake from Blumhouse/Universal, who this time will use a newly discovered novel-length version of Campbell's novella as their source material for another retelling.
In 2018, famed sci-fi writer/publisher John Betancourt announced the discovery of the novel-length version of Who Goes There?, and at the time, he launched a Kickstarter to fund the release of the novel-sized version, which arrived under the title Frozen Hell.
At the time, Betancourt explained,
In 1938, acclaimed science fiction author John W. Campbell published the novella Who Goes There?, about a team of scientists in Antarctica who discover and are terrorized by a monstrous, shape-shifting alien entity. The story would later be adapted into John Carpenter's iconic movie The Thing (following an earlier film adaptation in 1951). The published novella was actually an abridged version of Campbell's original story, called Frozen Hell, which had to be shortened for publication. The Frozen Hell manuscript remained unknown and unpublished for decades, and it was only recently rediscovered."
Frozen Hell expands the Thing story dramatically, giving vital backstory and context to an already incredible tale.
Now, as Bloody Disgusting points out, Betancourt has revealed the involvement of Blumhouse and Universal for the new cinematic remake.
"The movie will be from Universal and Blumhouse. Everyone is super excited about it, and it's being fast-tracked," Betancourt explained after an announcement was first made by producer Alan Donnes over on Facebook last week.
Donnes wrote, "It's OFFICIAL! I received my signed contract and first check! I am Executive Producing a remake of THE THING but with additional chapters of John Campbell's groundbreaking novel, Frozen Hell, that had been lost for decades. Now, for the first time ever, Campbell's full vision will be realized on the big screen. The new film will include the very best of RKO's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, John Carpenter's classic THE THING and both books, Frozen Hell and Who Goes There?"
At this point, that's all we know about the upcoming project, and we're even unsure what the title the film may be or who may be sitting in the director's chair. So stay tuned.
