Variety is reporting that Universal Studios is planning a third film version of The Thing, which was last seen in John Carpenter’s 1982 version (it was first on the big screen as Howard Hawks’s The Thing from Another World in 1951). This time arouund, Universal has Ron Moore (currently the Executive Producer of Battlestar Galactica) writing the script and Matthijs Van Heijningen, Jr. (who directs commercials) scheduled to direct the film. Eric Newman and Marc Abaraham of Strike Entertainment will produce the new movie, with David Foster executive producing.
The story, which is “set in a Norwegian camp and chronicles how the shape-shifting alien was first discovered and overcame the inhabitants of that camp,” was originally written by John W. Campbell, Jr. (using his Don A. Stuart pseudonym), and appeared as “Who Goes There?” in the August 1938 issue of Astounding Stories.
Van Heijningen’s experience includes commmercials for Toyota, Pepsi, Heineken, Bud Light, and Visa. He is currently developing Army of the Dead at Warner Bros. with producer Zack Snyder, who made the move from commercials to movies when he directed the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake.