De opnames van Universal Pictures’ prequel op John Carpenters thriller The Thing beginnen halverwege maart in Toronto. De eerste castleden zijn reeds bekend: Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Grindhouse) en Joel Edgerton (Kinky Boots) zullen de hoofdrollen op zich gaan nemen.

Het script werd geschreven door Ronald D. Moore en herschreven door Eric Heisserer. De film zal gaan over een alien die van gedaante kan veranderen. Hij terroriseert onderzoekers in een Antarctische faciliteit in Noorwegen.

In a remote Antarctica outpost, an alien spaceship is discovered far beneath the ice. When a group of ambitious scientists decide to thaw out one of the creatures inside, they’re in for the terrifying fight of their lives…

Winstead speelt Kate Lloyd, die als volgt beschreven wordt:

pretty, bright-eyed, intelligent, she’s a graduate of Columbia and a Ph.D. candidate in paleontology (the study of prehistoric life). On the recommendation of her friend Adam Goodman, Kate is tapped for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by Dr. Sander Halvorson to join his research team in Antarctica, where an extraordinary discovery has been made. Upon arrival, Kate soon finds herself at odds with Halvorson about how best to proceed with the discovery — an alien spaceship with a mysterious and sinister frozen THING found nearby — specifically whether to transfer the specimen undisturbed to a more appropriate facility for analysis, or, per Halvorson’s wishes, to drill into the specimen’s ice encasement for a definitive tissue sample.

Edgerton is Sam Carter, een helikopterpiloot met wie Lloyd samen moet werken om een einde te maken aan het gevaar. Carter wordt als volgt beschreven:

In his early 30s, rugged, handsome, blue-collar, he’s a helicopter pilot with a private charter service that transports personnel and supplies from McMurdo Station to remote research sites across Antarctica. Carter is a mercenary. He flies when he wants, where he wants, and he flies for one reason: money. But his resourcefulness, experience and get-it-done mentality make him indispensable.

Er is ook nog een derde personage, waarvoor nog geen acteur gevonden is:

[DR. SANDER HALVORSON] In his late 30s to early 50s, austere, scholarly and imperious, he’s a microbiologist from NYU who leads a science research team to Antarctica to help his old friend Edvard interpret and analyze an extraordinary discovery made beneath the ice. Sander, a brilliant scientist and a master of self-promotion, knows that his involvement in such an historic discovery will bring him fame and fortune. Blinded by ambition, he refuses to abandon the “project” even as the bodies pile up around him.

De Nederlander Matthijs Van Hejningen Jr. zal gaan regisseren.