prequel

3D is all the rage these days, and now that Avatar has made like eleventy bajillion dollars (which is totally a real number), it seems as though it's probably here to stay. This means we can expect all kinds of cool movies to make the jump from boring old 2D over to much more gimmicky 3D.

One such title that appears to be making the move to the third dimension is Ridley Scott's highly anticipated prequel to Alien. Website Shadowlocked.com recently sat down with Roger Christian (art director on Scott's original film), who spilled the beans on plans for the new title.

"Ridley's doing the next Alien in 3D," Christian told the site. "Ridley told me some of his ideas when we were here in Toronto. He has a very clear understanding of where this should go. They kind of stopped dead one of the greatest horror franchises there's ever been, and it had legs to go on. So I'm hoping he'll revive another three. The world certainly wants it, and the fans want it - everybody. "

Now, keep in mind that this is still basically a rumor--the studio hasn't confirmed any of this, and Christian isn't officially involved with the Alien prequel at this point. However, if there's a franchise that could really benefit from using 3D technology, Alien is definitely on the short list. The thought of Xenomorphs popping out of the screen and facehuggers flying directly at me is cool beyond words.

What do you think? Does the idea of a new Alien film being in 3D fill you with excitement over the possibilities or does it make you worry that the gimmick will overshadow what's truly important--seeing nasty monsters eat people's faces? Let us know in the comment section below.

I'm not sure why, but there seems to be some confusion as to whether Universal's new version of The Thing will be a remake or a prequel. It seems obvious that it's a prequel, since every plot description we've read to date mentions that the film takes place in the Norwegian base camp--and we see the aftermath of what happened there in Carpenter's film.

However, some folks still weren't 100% sure on the whole remake/prequel thing. Luckily for us, star Joel Edgerton cleared things up when talking with What's Playing recently:

"Anyone who is a big fan of the John Carpenter version of The Thing knows that it starts on the American base station but the investigation of where the Thing has come from leads us to know something very bad has happened at the Norwegian base station and the prequel centres itself around there and what happened pre-Kurt Russell".

I remain conflicted about the Matthijs van Heijningen-directed project. A prequel is certainly better than a remake, but I'm still not sure anyone can recapture the magic that made Carpenter's film so unforgettable. I'll definitely give it a shot, and 'm hoping for the best, but I'm still nervous about the project as a whole. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

The prequel finds Edgerton and Mary Elizabeth Winstead dealing with the life-form mimicking extra-terrestrial on an isolated Antarctic research base. The film begins shooting in Toronto later this month.

I'm still worried about this proposed prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing--there are so many ways it can go wrong. I am a little less nervous now that news has come to light (courtesy of Variety) stating that visual effects team Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. will be handling the title's creature design and special FX.

This is promising news for anyone who was concerned that Matthijs Van Heijningen's film would rely on CGI. Carpenter's movie is so revered in the horror community not only because it tells a fantastic story, but also because Rob Bottin's practical effects work is the stuff of legend. A prequel sporting a bunch of CGI monsters and effects is akin to blasphemy as far as I'm concerned.

ADI has a lengthy history with monster movies, having worked on Starship Troopers, the Alien vs. Predator films, Alien 3, X-Files: Fight the Future, and Tremors. Here's to hoping they can come up with some creatures to rival Bottin's now iconic creations.

The Thing goes before cameras on March 15th. Joel Edgerton and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star in a tale that reveals what happened to the Norwegian research team who unearthed the alien spacecraft prior to the events in Carpenter's film. Here's a hint--it wasn't anything good.

Universal's much-debated prequel to John Carpenter's classic monster flick The Thing is set to start filming this March, and since that's right around the proverbial corner, it makes sense that the first bits of casting info for the film are starting to emerge.

THR's Heat Vision blog has the scoop on the first two actors who'll be getting stranded in Antarctica and one of them is troubling to me in a serious way.

According to the article, Joel Edgerton will be playing a "mercenary helicopter pilot" who teams up with Ph.D. candidate played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead to stop the shape-shifting alien organism after it's freed from a recently discovered UFO buried in the Antarctic ice.

Edgerton is best known for playing Uncle Owen (Luke's stepfather) in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Winstead played Bruce Willis' daughter in Live Free or Die Hard.

The troubling thing here--if you get past the fact that Edgerton is basically a poor man's MacReady and proof that Hollywood didn't want to cast a foreign leading man--is the casting of Winstead. Carpenter's film featured no women and it was better for it. There was no sexual tension, no potential love interest, no contrived romances...it was just a group of men trying to survive and kill a monster they couldn't even begin to comprehend. That will almost certainly change in the prequel. Can The Thing still be a great movie with a woman as one of the leads? Of course. I'm just not convinced it will be because it's really easy to imagine how this story is going to play out.

What do you guys think? Are you happy with this casting or does this news make you think a prequel to The Thing is doomed to failure? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

We've been hearing a lot about a reboot / remake / prequel of the original A L I E N for quite some time now, but things have picked up in the last several weeks, and the latest news is actually pretty surprising: According to Variety, no less than Ridley Scott himself will be directing the prequel, and if I need to remind you that Mr. Scott directed the first A L I E N, then I think you may be at the wrong horror blog. The screenwriter for the flick will be Jon Spaihts, who's clearly one of those "mega-busy but untested" scribes. The guy has no less than five scripts in various stages of development, including Children of Mars and Shadow 19.

Right here is where you'd expect me to flip out like a geek and rant loudly because A L I E N is my all-time favorite film and how dare they make a prequel and yadda yadda ... but frankly I'm pretty thrilled that Ridley Scott is attached. Mainly because I think he's an excellent filmmaker, but also because his hectic schedule may prevent this prequel from arriving any time soon. More info as we get it!

(By Jessica Barnes -- Cinematical -- 6/1/09)

So, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Well, let's start with the bad news: Its official, the A L I E N reboot has gone beyond rumor and straight into reality. But the good news is that at least it won't be a remake. Just last week, Peter broke the story that Fox was looking to revive the franchise, but at the time, none of the principals involved (original creator Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, or rumored director, Carl Rinsch) had officially commented on the status of the project. Now, though, Collider brings us news that they got the chance to speak with Tony Scott during a press event for The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and he confirmed that Rinsch has indeed been given the nod to direct a prequel to the 1979 sci-fi horror.

Once you get over the fact that a prequel is a particularly goofy idea, it probably wouldn't be that hard to come up with a plausible story. In the original film, the story of the derelict ship that the crew of the Nostromo encountered was never really explained. That element of the unknown was always an integral part of the original film's scare factor, but you have to admit, it wouldn't be all that difficult to fill in the blanks. Scott is looking to get the film into production by the end of the year, but there is still a small matter of a script and a cast before they can think about sticking to a tentative release date of summer, 2011.

More here!