The Thing Prequel Finds a Warm Place to Hide
August 7th, 2009
Prequels continue to be all the rage these days, and I honestly can't seem to figure out why. Is it really necessary to spell out and overstate things that might've worked best left unexplained? While we aim these questions at the upcoming Alien prequel (sorry, but I love the mystique of the Space Jockey; I'm not sure I want to know anything more), the same can be said of The Thing prequel which, like the titular creature, simply won't die.
Bloody Disgusting talked to Eric Heisserer, who's been tasked with re-writing Ronald D. Moore's script for the oft-threatened project. During their chat Heisserer talked about filling in the gaps that John Carpenter's film left open: “It’s a really fascinating way to construct a story because we're doing it by autopsy, by examining very, very closely everything we know about the Norwegian camp and about the events that happened there from photos and video footage that’s recovered.” He continues, “From a visit to the base, the director, producer and I have gone through it countless times marking, you know, there’s a fire axe in the door, we have to account for that…we're having to reverse engineer it, so those details all matter to us ‘cause it all has to make sense.”
The prequel centers on the Norwegian camp and their encounter with the nasty extraterrestrial. "We’re finding so much from Carpenter’s movie that you think you’ve seen, but in actuality it allows us to come up with certain twists on what we have that will allow people to be on the edge of their seat, and not know who’s going to make it and who’s not.”
Heisserer's enthusiasm is to be commended, but I find the prospect of this film to be little more than a thinly veiled attempt at remaking the original without an outcry from the Internet community. I mean, how does one make a better film than John Carpenter's masterpiece? I don't think it can be done. Do you guys think they should even try?
- MattFini
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You know, there's so many prequels and remakes these days, I'm sort of jaded to hearing news like thise. Like WIB said, there will always be Carpenter's original. Let them do whatever they want...
Submitted by Screamz on Sun, 08/09/2009 - 8:42pm.
I don't have a big problem with it. We'll always have Carpenters THE THING to watch I'd like to see a prequel or even remake just to see something new.
Submitted by AriesofPitt on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 8:02pm.
They are re-writing Ronald D. Moore's script? Fuck that.
Submitted by Sirand on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 3:19pm.
I wish this thing would stay hidden in the ice forever.
Submitted by Chainsaw on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 9:52am.
No prequel, sequel or remakes. Leave Carpenter's film alone!
Submitted by DavidFullam on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 4:35pm.
For some reason I'm not bothered too much by this project. I think it has the potential to be pretty decent. And, really, so as long as I still have Carpenter's Thing to pop in the DVD player and watch whenever I feel like it, they can do whatever they want in terms of prequel, sequel, whatever. Nothing can ever shake my love for that film.
Submitted by The Woman In Black on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 2:20pm.
I'm the same. I keep thinking this should piss me off but it doesn't. I'm not hearing anything that get's me that excited about it either though.
Submitted by Gus Bjork on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 8:32pm.