As we all know, both John Carpenter's The Thing and Christian Nyby 1951 classic The Thing from Another World were adaptations of John W. Campbell Jr.s novella Who Goes There?. A few years back, John Betancourt announced the discovery of an expanded, novel-length version and set up a Kickstarter to have it published.
Titled Frozen Hell, Betancourt explained that the novel "expands the Thing story dramatically, giving vital backstory and context to an already incredible tale."
We tell you this because this week, the exciting news broke that Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions are developing an adaptation of the novel!
Executive producer Alan Donnes took to Facebook to break the news, writing: "It’s OFFICIAL! I received my signed contract and first check! I am Executive Producing a remake of THE THING but with additional chapters of John Campbell’s groundbreaking novel, Frozen Hell, that had been lost for decades. Now, for the first time ever, Campbell’s full vision will be realized on the big screen. The new film will include the very best of RKO’s THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, John Carpenter’s classic THE THING and both books, Frozen Hell and Who Goes There? Many thanks to a lot people but none more so than the heirs to the story for their faith and trust in me. I said I’d get it done and here we are. I am forever indebted to you!"
"The movie will be from Universal and Blumhouse. Everyone is super excited about it, and it’s being fast-tracked," Betancourt added on Kickstarter. "This is just the tip of the iceberg of what's going on with Who Goes There?, Frozen Hell, and The Thing in Hollywood. I can't talk about the rest yet, but it's very exciting -- and if all goes as planned, the Thing will be alive and well for quite a while."
Personally, I'm very excited for this news. The 1951 original is great, Carpenter's film is a masterpiece, and the 2011 prequel was entertaining enough. So I certainly look forward to another expansion of The Thing universe.
Stay tuned for more updates and buy Frozen Hell today!
