A new movie called the THE THING is due to hit our screens later this year. This is the third feature film to have this title, however strictly speaking it is not a remake of John Carpenter’s atmospheric 1982 horror film, but a prequel. More after the jump.
A prequel is what Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. aimed to make. Given the look and feel of this trailer is very reminiscent of the 1982 film, but with a female lead rather than the Kurt Russel character R.J. MacReady, the whole presequel, sequel, remake or reboot argument seems rather pointless.
Fans of Mary Elizabeth Winstead from SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (2010) will enjoy seeing her take on the meaty role of Kate Lloyd. The new “Thing” story is this: At a Norwegian Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.
Australians will recognise our own Joel Edgerton in the midst of all this. His character name is Sam Carter, so it appears we won’t be witnessing his version of a Norwegian accent. Not saying Edgerton couldn’t do it, but Heijningen has cast a number of actual Danish and Norwegian actors as his co-stars.
This trailer indicates this is a well-made attempt to recapture the mood and thrills of the Carpenter film. Australian audiences can discover for themselves when this new THE THING arrives in October 2011.
