Yesterday when we reported that Universal had pulled “The Thing” from their schedule we said that we smelled reshoots, and it turns out we were half right.
Hitfix caught up with producer Marc Abraham who said that while there is already an early cut of the film, the project will be headed back in front of cameras “to enhance existing sequences or to make crystal clear a few story beats or to add punctuation marks to the film’s feeling of dread.” Effects work is still being done, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead confirmed to be headed back for the additional shooting and the film is expected to be completed, as scheduled, early in the year. It appears that Universal wasn’t confident with the spring date and are now trying to find a better fit for the film (our guess, late summer or around Hallowe’en season).
Abraham praises director Matthijs van Hijningen Jr. and his cast but really, what else is he going to say? Of course, he has a vested interest in coming out and assuaging fans’ fears by saying that everything is fine with “The Thing” but it won’t be until we see the picture for ourselves that we can determine if this is just some punch up work or a last ditch effort to save a muddled film.
Abraham is apparently quite concerned with letting fans know how much he and the filmmakers want to do right by John Carpenter‘s 1982 original as this film set out to tell the story about the Norwegian team and the origins of the titular creature. If they really wanted to honor Carpenter they might have tried giving the film a different name rather than coasting on the goodwill of that title. Anyhow, let’s hope that the extra time does allow Hijningen Jr. an opportunity to get the film right.
