The Thing
The Thing: A 1982 remake of the 1951 film, directed by John Carpenter.
Last updated
The film's development began in the mid-1970s and was revitalized after the success of Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979.[1][2]
Key facts and history
John Carpenter was first approached about the project in 1976 by co-producer Stuart Cohen, but Universal initially chose Tobe Hooper as director.[3] Lancaster reduced the number of characters from 37 to 12 and opted to open the film in the middle of the action instead of using a flashback.[4] Producers David Foster and Lawrence Turman first proposed adapting the 1938 John W. Campbell novella Who Goes There? to Universal Pictures in the mid-1970s, which initiated the film's development.[1] The 1951 film The Thing from Another World, directed by Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby, had previously offered a loose adaptation of the novella; Foster and Turman sought to create a project that adhered more faithfully to the original story.[1]
Carpenter was hesitant to take on the project because he believed the adaptation by Hawks would be challenging to exceed, but Cohen advised him to read the original novella.[5] Lancaster was brought on to write the screenplay after he explained to Carpenter his plan to remain faithful to the original story.[6]
What the cited sources add
Norbert Weisser appears as one of the Norwegian characters, and an uncredited dog named Jed plays the Dog-Thing.[7] For the blood-taking needle shots, camera operator Ray Stella served as a stand-in, and he informed Carpenter that he could perform the task all day.[7] Stunt coordinator Dick Warlock made cameo appearances, including an off-screen role as the shadow on the wall during the Dog-Thing sequence.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyttelton 2012; Maçek III 2012; Manna 1982, p. 22; Foster 1982b (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyttelton 2012; French 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swires 1982c, p. 26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swires 1982, p. 16 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bauer 1999; Tompkins 2015; Hemphill 2017; Hemphill 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swires 1982, p. 16; Bauer 1999; Swires 1982, p. 16; Cinephilia Beyond 2017; Bauer 1999 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Canby 1982; Crowe 1995; Lyttelton 2012; Freer 2016; Cohen 2011d (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Thing (1982 film)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kirk 2011; Canby 1982; Beresford 2022; Cohen 2011i; Cohen 2013b (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article The Thing (1982 film) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Famous Aliens
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Thing (1982 film) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced