The Thing set to be rebooted again – this time with John Carpenter's involvement
The director of the 1982 cult-classic returns to The Thing
Get ready for another reboot. The Thing will reportedly return, again, with the original 1982 movie's director – the great John Carpenter – involved. Variety reports that the project is in the early stages of development with Blumhouse (who helped bring back Halloween) while no other details are known.
Carpenter initially teased the news himself during a Q&A at Fantasia International Film Festival. While talking about the upcoming Halloween sequel Halloween Kills, the filmmaker was asked whether he had spoken to Blumhouse head Jason Blum about bringing back any of his other classic movies.
“I have? I don’t know about that,” Carpenter said. “But we’ve talked about – I think he’s going to be working on The Thing, rebooting The Thing. I’m involved with that, maybe. Down the road.”
No other story details were revealed, and it remains unknown whether this will be a reboot or sequel to the original.
There have been multiple retellings of The Thing story. First, there was The Thing from Another World, released in 1951. That was followed by Carpenter's version, starring Kurt Russell, which was an unfortunate box-office disappointment yet has become a cult classic. Then there was the 2011 prequel, released by Universal, which starred Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton, but did not have Carpenter's involvement. The movie was a box-office and critical disappointment.
Perhaps now, with Blumhouse – a hit-making machine – The Thing can finally get the box-office recognition it deserves. In the meantime, check out the best horror movies of all time.
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Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.