Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/29/the_thing/
Universal thaws out The Thing
'You gotta be fu*king kidding'
Posted in Entertainment, 29th January 2009 10:33 GMT
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Variety has confirmed chilling rumours that Universal was planning to remake The Thing - a project described as a "re-imagining" of the classic which first hit the big screen in 1951 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044121/) and resurfaced in John Carpenter's excellent 1982 adaptation (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/).
The rehash is, as were the first two outings for The Thing, based "heavily" on the John W Campbell Jr's 1938 short story Who Goes There, which tells the tale of how a shape-shifting alien made short work of the occupants of a snow-bound Norwegian camp.
If your nerves can stand it, Universal has commissioned Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ron Moore to tackle the script while Matthijs Van Heijningen - whose previous credits include commercials for Bud Light, Heineken, Pepsi, Toyota and Visa - will occupy the director's chair. ®
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We can't help but feel this latest example of Hollywood's abject failure to come up with fresh ideas is best summed up by a line from the 1982 movie, viz: "You gotta be fucking kidding."
Here's another quote for the benefit of Universal: "I dunno what the hell's in there, but it's weird and pissed off, whatever it is." Yes, that'd be a John Carpenter fan at the rehash's premiere, make no mistake.