The Thing 2: Everything we know

A new quote from writer-director John Carpenter suggests that The Thing 2 might be in the works, so this is everything we know about any potential sequel.

John Carpenter hasn’t directed a movie since The Ward in 2010. Which is a crime as, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, he made some of the greatest genre films in celluloid history.

Dark Star, Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, The Fog, Christine, Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, They Live; the list goes on and on.

In the midst of that remarkable run, Carpenter wrote and directed a remake of Howard Hawks classic The Thing From Another World. And while it wasn’t a hit at the time, it’s now considered a cult classic, so-much-so that some 40 years on, a sequel is apparently being discussed. So, here’s what we know about The Thing 2, starting with a bit of background.

What is The Thing?

Here’s the official synopsis for 1982’s The Thing: “In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror… and becomes one of them.”

The shape-shifting monster – crafted by special effects genius Rob Bottin – remains the stuff of nightmares, while the sense of paranoia that pervades the film elevates the material, so-much-so that The Thing is now considered a sci-fi classic.

But it was neither a critical or commercial hit at the time, so a sequel never happened. In 2010, Universal released a prequel, staring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton. But the much-maligned, computer-generated alien meant that iteration of The Thing was dead on arrival, effectively killing any future for the franchise.

The Thing 2: Everything we know

Despite its shaky history, a new quote from John Carpenter suggests that The Thing might be resuscitated. While appearing at Texas Frightmare Weekend, Carpenter was asked about the famously ambiguous ending of his original.

According to CreepyCatalog, the writer-director said he couldn’t say much, for the following reason: “I have been sworn to secrecy, okay, because there may be, I don’t know if there will be, there may be a Thing 2.”

This is’t the first time Carpenter has alluded to a potential sequel. In February 2022, he told The Hollywood Reporter: “I would like to do a sequel to The Thing, or a continuation.”

And when asked about The Thing 2 in October, he told MovieMaker: “You never know. I don’t know that I want to. But we’ll have to see what the circumstances are. That’s what it’s all about these days. If it’s fully funded and if it’s something I could do, I would like to. But we’ll see. I’m not gonna say no.”

So at the moment, all The Thing noise seems to be coming from John Carpenter himself. But rest assured, if there’s any movement from the studio side, we’ll update this article accordingly.

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