Last month we got word that the new take on The Thing (previously remade in 1982 by John Carpenter and Howard Hawks) would begin shooting sometime in March. Now we’ve got word from Heat Vision that Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Death Proof, Live Free or Die Hard) and Joel Edgerton (Smokin’ Aces, Animal Kingdom) have joined the cast of the sci-fi thriller. Last we heard, the story was supposed to show the story of the Norwegian camps in the Antarctic that were ravaged by “The Thing” before the Americans (in the original) discovered the decimated camps, but Heat Vision doesn’t allude to this being a prequel.

They have the same premise we’ve heard about, but they don’t mention specifically that this is a prequel, so maybe this is actually some sort of reboot for a potential franchise, or some sort of remake/prequel hybrid like the most recent incarnation of Friday the 13th? Winstead will play a Ph.D. candidate who joins a Norwegian research team in Antarctica after it discovers an alien ship in the ice. When a trapped organism is freed and begins a series of attacks, she is forced to team with a “blue-collar mercenary helicopter pilot” (Edgerton) to stop the rampage. So it could fit into a time before the original story takes place, but it could also be a whole new beginning for The Thing. We’re not really sure what this is. Anyone else have any idea?

Whatever the case, it sounds like it’ll be Edgerton who is stepping into Kurt Russell’s shoes as the resident badass, so we can expect him to be quite an onscreen presence (Alex saw him in the Sundance film Animal Kingdom and he’s apparently great in that,). As for Winstead, not only is she easy on the eyes, but showed some promise in Death Proof and Live Free or Die Hard, and more is yet to be seen from her performance in Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. We’ll keep you posted on this prequel/remake fuzziness, in addition to hoping director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. delivers some killer sci-fi fun. And if you hear any more about what this is actually supposed to be, please let us know as well.

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