Blumhouse Productions (Happy Death Day, Halloween, Get Out) and Universal Studios are collaborating on a remake of The Thing. However, this remake will take inspiration from the lost pages of the original science-fiction novel: Frozen Hell.
The Thing was initially inspired by a novella, Who Goes There?, written by John W. Campbell Jr. However, in 2018, a fully-realized version of the story was found by John Betancourt. He explained, “The published novella was actually an abridged version of Campbell’s original story, called Frozen Hell, which had to be shortened for publication. The Frozen Hell manuscript remained unknown and unpublished for decades, and it was only recently rediscovered.”
Betancourt took the previously unpublished novel to Kickstarter in hopes of getting it published. The campaign was wickedly successful as it surpassed its goal by $154,000 with almost 5,000 backers. He announced the “fast-tracked’ film adaptation on the Kickstarter earlier this week.
Per Amazon, the synopsis of “Who Goes There?” is as follows:
The novella that formed the basis of “The Thing” is the John W. Campbell classic about an antarctic research camp that discovers and thaws the ancient, frozen body of a crash-landed alien. The creature revives with terrifying results, shape-shifting to assume the exact form of animal and man, alike. Paranoia ensues as a band of frightened men work to discern friend from foe, and destroy the menace before it challenges all of humanity!
The novella was first adapted in 1951’s The Thing from Another World, and one of horror’s greatest masters John Carpenter made The Thing in 1982. A prequel of the same name was released in 2011, but it was not as well-received as the originals.
Are you looking forward to this new imagining of The Thing based on the original source material? Or are you too in love with the originals to see it? Let us know in the comments below, and keep coming back to The Nerd Stash for all of your nerdy news and needs!
