I was really nervous in doing this cast, I had the idea for 2 The Thing Sequels for a while and I decided that it would be nice to post them on here to see what Everyone thought. But I'm still fine tuning the last one, so I figured I'd post my pitch for "THE THING 2" on here to see if it catches any waves and if so Do a cast and a synopsis for my version of the THING 3, which would remake another John Carpenter Classic retrofitting it to be a sequel to the THING Film Series. So please let me know what you think!
OPEN: A Ship - Launching. Break into:
NEWS BROADCASTER: "Today marks what is believed to be the fortieth anniversary of the Slaughter of U.S. Outpost #31 team. Allegedly due to former Vietnam veteran's Robert James MacReady and David Childs. The two were found, having froze to death due to severe Antarctic weather. Alternatively two surviving members of the MacReady blood line are slated to join Project Ellida a Saucer built in and launching from The International Space Exploration Station. Launch is set to go at 2 weeks... If successful this will give scientist a closer look at the Andromeda Galaxy."
Dr. Beverly Hawn interviews the Crew:
- Captain: William Holiday, claims to be a descendant of the famous Doc Holiday. Caucasian, 60's. A Stern Captian who's done pretty much everything to get the assignment to Captain the Ellida.
- First Mate: Barney Armitage African-American, 30's. He's a very efficient guy, always on time, his only fear is being late. He's a trained athlete who wasn't able to make it big in the Olympics like he dreamed and became an Accountant instead. Nasa hired him on as more or less an assistant to the Captain.
- Boatswain/Senior Mechanic Machine Operator: Abel, 50's An Old Mechanic. Long into the game and very happy for it. He's worked at Nasa for the last 20 years of his life,
- Quatermaster: Walter Fichs, 50's An old Guard, a bit paranoid.
- Comm Expert: "Cell Phone" Murphy Johnson, Brit-Irish credited for having built a radio amplifier allowing them to communicate from space to official NASA H.Q.
- Cabin Boy/Cook: Sing Ho 40's, Chinese - The Cabin Cook for the crew, he tends to a small greenhouse on the ship to farm for vegtables, He also is an experienced butcher. He's got no normal fears. Only fear of Supernatural, and is very accustomed to his Asian heritage often serving the crew {much to their disdain} chinese food, but they've all grown accepting of it.
- Ship Carpenter/Mechanic: John Joshua Ship Mechanic and tech understudy of the Senior Machine Operator. Caucasian. Mid to Late 30's, afraid of small things and multiple legs.
- Gunner: Katherine MacReady, Kurt's sister and a very experienced Gunner. She took the hobby up thinking her father would have wanted her too. She's early 40's, Beautiful, Caucasian
- Master Pilot: Kurt MacReady Senior pilot, Mid 40's Caucasian, who took the craft after his father, his whole life has been a quest to go to outer space. He's a trained pilot, former veteran like his father. Unlike his father he hates Chess, but plays it for his sister. He is scared of the dark and a heavy drinker.
- Powder Monkey/Ammo Expert: Basil "Brazil" Sanchez: A tough female officer who's long experienced with the way the world is. Inside she's a little girl who needs acceptance from her father. She's not an easy scare, the only thing that eats at her is Bugs, especially Roaches.
- "Sea" Artist/Space Navigator: "Harvard" Karl Winslow, Harvard graduate, leading to his nickname in Astrology.
- Striker/Farmer: Shoeless Jerry - 30's, A Huge Shoeless Joe fan, big on baseball and tends the farm without footwear. Most of the crewman think he's crazy for it for their sake he says it's his Native Ancestry that pushes him into it.
- Surgeon: Dr. Richard Wilds, 40's - Tech Surgeon and Scientist, he's the type of guy who works hard and takes the lesser job cause he needs money. He's pretty smart in just about every field.
- Exploration Scientist: Dr. Jimmy Masters: 50's-60's Old bird use to working by himself in closed off labratories
The Saucer "Ellida" is eerily familiar, almost like we've seen it before, Divided into Several large sections:
- Main Pilot Center, Map/Plan Room.
- Cargo Hold
- Laboratory, for any scientific findings.
- Mess Hall
- Rec Room
- Firing Rang {More of a subsection so the back of the range is actually far from the hull of the ship}/ Training station - this is where they train for physical combat and more to keep in shape.
- Crew Quarters: Living Spaces for the crew. This is also where the bathrooms and showers exist.
- The Brig, there to "jail" any members of the crew who might sink into "Space Madness"
"Weapons":
- Flamethrower: for heat in case of any emergency power failure.
- Tazer Sticks and Stun Guns: Subdue any members who might go crazy or sink into madness.
- Shotguns, Handguns: For personal defense and shooting ranges. Not a necessity, but sneaked in by various crew members, including the captain with the rule to only use it on the shooting range.
After the characters and the Ship is established we get the ship detaching from the international space station Shooting out towards the Andromeda Galaxy. The Crew get bored and start forming their own little drama - A meteorite hits them, They bring it inside, to study it, via space walk. Once they get it inside The Doc does tests and finds "Living Bacteria"
The Thing has a biological memory, no matter what part of one thing does - the other parts of it will remember and have the ability to replicate it {similar to the Ultimate Venom Symbiot in Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man}. The infection time for the thing varies based on dose and degree. The Colder and smaller it is -- the longer it is, but also since it is in a heated environment it can go as fast as half an hour to an hour depending on the size. It's like any type of super-virus or bacteria the colder it is the slower it's activity.
As the Thing Systematically takes over each member of the ship, while they fight each other and kill each other - the crew members attempt various ways of killing it.
Once the remaining members of the group move together in effort to find the thing It begins sabotaging the ship.
MacReady's children decide the best corse of action is to kill it the best way possible - They aim the ship for a Black Hole intending to rip them and the Thing apart - When they go through the Black hole they find themselves in an unexpected place:
Above Earth's Orbit, 100,000 Years in the past! Ending at the Pre-title scene of the John Carpenter Film "The Thing"
Director: Directors are responsible for overseeing creative aspects of a film under the overall control of the film producer. They often develop the vision for a film and carry out the vision, deciding how the film should look, in other words they make their vision come to life. They are responsible for turning the script into a sequence of shots. They also direct what tone it should have and what an audience should gain from the cinematic experience. Film directors are responsible for deciding camera angles, lens effects and lighting with the help of the cinematographer and set design with the production designer. They will often take part in hiring the cast and key crew members. They coordinate the actors' moves, or blocking and also may be involved in the writing, financing and editing of a film.
Nimrod Antel [Notable Works: Predators, Metallica: Through the Never, Vacancy]: Nimrod is a fantastic Director, his Film Predators really got the franchise to be revitalized. He knows how to play on paranoia, aliens, and slaughter. If anyone could direct a proper sequel to the John Carpenter Classic, I think Nimrod is the guy.
Screenwriter: Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the screenplay, and delivering it, in the required format, to Development Executives. Screenwriters therefore have great influence over the creative direction and emotional impact of the screenplay and, arguably, of the finished film. They either pitch original ideas to Producers in the hope that they will be optioned or sold, or screenwriters are commissioned by a producer to create a screenplay from a concept, true story, existing screen work or literary work, such as a novel, poem, play, comic book or short story.
Wesley Strick [Notable Works: A Nightmare on Elm Street {2010}, Cape Fear {1991}, Wolf]: Wesley is a great writer, he wrote one of the few Remakes that is considered better than the original {Cape Fear}. I trust him as a writer, yeah he's got a flop or two on his resume but he's a creative and dedicated writer who could craft a haunting sequel.
Composer: A film score (also sometimes called background music or incidental music) is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score forms part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects, and comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces called cues which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the scene in question. Scores are written by one or more composers, under the guidance of the film's director and/or producer, and are then usually performed by an ensemble of musicians – most often comprising an orchestra or band, instrumental soloists, and choir or vocalists – and recorded by a sound engineer.
Graeme Revell [Notable Works: The Crow, Daredevil, Walking Tall {2005}]: Graeme is a fantastic composer. I couldn't help using him as the composer for the piece. His music is very character and emotionally driven, and that would be a neat edge to put into the Thing. Not only could he capture a sense of Paranoia like the master Ennio Morricone, but he could add multi-dimensional layers with newer emotions.
- Captain: William Holiday, claims to be a descendant of the famous Doc Holiday. Caucasian, 60's. A Stern Captian who's done pretty much everything to get the assignment to Captain the Ellida.
Ron Perlman [Height: 6' 1", Age: 63, Notable Works: Pacific Rim, Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy]: I love Ron as an actor. I knew while crafting this role that he would be the guy I'd cast in it. He's really got a sense of humor in his method's of performance and I think this would be a neat addition to his filmography.
- First Mate: Barney Armitage African-American, 30's. He's a very efficient guy, always on time, his only fear is being late. He's a trained athlete who wasn't able to make it big in the Olympics like he dreamed and became an Accountant instead. Nasa hired him on as more or less an assistant to the Captain.
Robert Christopher Riley [Height: 6' 1 1/2", Age: 33, Notable Works: Bourne Legacy, Hit the Floor, The Trade Off ]: Rob is an actor I have seen do bit parts, but I think he's got great potential and really just needs a role that would expose him to the mass populace. I wrote the character pretty much with Robert in mind.
- Boatswain/Senior Mechanic Machine Operator: Abel, 50's-70's An Old Mechanic. Long into the game and very happy for it. He's worked at Nasa for the last 20 years of his life,
Tobin Bell [Height: 5' 11", Age: 71, Notable Works: Saw, The Quick and The Dead, Cheyenne]: Tobin I wanted because I think his portrayal would really get people to think he's infected, he's a great actor and would be perfect for misdirection.
- Quatermaster: Walter Fichs, 50's An old Guard, a bit paranoid.
William Fichtner [Height: 6' 0", Age: 57, Notable Works: Drive Angry, Heat, The Dark Knight]: Will Fichtner is an actor that pretty much everybody has seen but hasn't really gone past a bit of a cult following. I think he's a fantastic actor to put in this project. He's a creative and dedicated actor that really could be the character.
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- Comm Expert: "Cell Phone" Murphy Johnson, Brit-Irish credited for having built a radio amplifier allowing them to communicate from space to official NASA H.Q.
Simon Pegg [Height: 5' 10", Age: 43, Notable Works: Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek, Run Fatboy Run]: One of the reasons I chose Simon is that I don't imagine he'd consider himself "too good" for this type of movie or role. He's a supporting player in a lot of films and has done various t.v. Shows. He's a great actor that adds a little more diversity to the project.
- Cabin Boy/Cook: Sing Ho 40's, Chinese - The Cabin Cook for the crew, he tends to a small greenhouse on the ship to farm for vegtables, He also is an experienced butcher. He's got no normal fears. Only fear of Supernatural, and is very accustomed to his Asian heritage often serving the crew {much to their disdain} chinese food, but they've all grown accepting of it.
Chin Han [Height: 5' 9", Age: 44, Notable Works: The Dark Knight, 2012, Arrow]: One thing about the John Carpenter movie that I felt was missed out on was it had some humor, both dark and light humor. I wanted to see a character like that and felt that Chin would be great for this kind of role.
- Ship Carpenter/Mechanic: John Joshua Ship Mechanic and tech understudy of the Senior Machine Operator. African-America. Mid to Late 30's, afraid of small things and multiple legs.
Quinton Jackson [Height: 6' 1", Age: 35, Notable Works: The A-Team, Never Surrender, Fire With Fire]: Quinton is a guy who's got the heart to be an actor, he's not really had a proper exposure outside of A-Team, where he did a pretty damn decent job, And I really felt he'd be perfect for this role.
- Gunner: Katherine MacReady, Kurt's sister and a very experienced Gunner. She took the hobby up thinking her father would have wanted her too. She's early 40's, Beautiful, Caucasian.
Lena Headey [Height: 5' 5", Age: 40, Notable Works: Dredd, Terminator Sarah Conner Chronicles, 300]: I felt like there had a member of the MacReady family in this, and I felt since this one would take place about 40 years after the first, it would be nice to give Mac a Mature and fiesty daughter, I think if anyone has a chance in hell of doing that it's Lena. She's a strong woman and a wonderful actress.
- Master Pilot: Kurt MacReady Senior pilot, Mid 40's Caucasian, who took the craft after his father, his whole life has been a quest to go to outer space. He's a trained pilot, former veteran like his father. Unlike his father he hates Chess, but plays it for his sister. He is scared of the dark and a heavy drinker.
Aaron Eckhart [Height: 6' 0", Age: 45, Notable Works: Olympus has Fallen, The Dark Knight, I, Frankenstein]: Yeah I Wanted a MacReady Male Lead as well as female lead. Aaron is a great actor who was probably the fifth person I thought of for the role, but for me he felt the best for it. He's a strong actor, and could be an emotional counterbalance to Lena Headey's Kate.
- Powder Monkey/Ammo Expert: Basil "Brazil" Sanchez: A tough female officer who's long experienced with the way the world is. Inside she's a little girl who needs acceptance from her father. She's not an easy scare, the only thing that eats at her is Bugs, especially Roaches.
Alice Braga [Height: 5' 4", Age: 30, Notable Works: I Am Legend, Predators, Elysium]: I love Alice as an actress, she's a strong woman who also shows a lot of heart in her performances, I really wanted to put her in this and I thought she would be perfect for the role.
- "Sea" Artist/Space Navigator: "Harvard" Karl Winslow, Harvard graduate, leading to his nickname in Astrology.
James Marsden [Height: 5' 10", Age: 40, Notable Works: X-Men Trilogy, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Superman Returns]: Jim is a decent actor, he follows bit closer to acting more like the 40's type male lead, but I think this is a role that could pull him in and make him a different actor afterwards, allowing him to give the performance of a lifetime.
- Striker/Farmer: Shoeless Jerry - 30's, A Huge Shoeless Joe fan, big on baseball and tends the farm without footwear. Most of the crewman think he's crazy for it for their sake he says it's his Native Ancestry that pushes him into it.
Jay Baruchel [Height: 6' 2", Age: 31, Notable Works: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Goon, How to Train Your Dragon/]: Jay was the immediate face to come into mind creating this character, He's a better actor then he's often credited, and it would be nice for him to break out of comedies and show some real dramatic heart.
- Surgeon: Dr. Richard Wilds, 40's - Tech Surgeon and Scientist, he's the type of guy who works hard and takes the lesser job cause he needs money. He's pretty smart in just about every field.
Patrick Wilson [Height: 6' 1", Age: 40, Notable Works: Insidious, Watchmen, Little Children]: I like Patrick, he's done a lot of great films and has given great performances in otherwise bad films. It would be a treat to see him play a role in this and really take his newly found good luck in the horror genre and bring it to a classic Series.
- Exploration Scientist: Dr. Jimmy Masters: 50's-60's Old bird use to working by himself in closed off laboratories
Brad Dourif [Height: 5' 9", Age: 63, Notable Works: Child's Play, Alien Resurrection, Dune]: Honestly I just really Wanted to include Brad into this cast. I know there are plenty of older actors but I didn't think a talent like Brad Dourif could be counted against me. He's a fantastic actor and a real treat to see work onscreen.
That's all for my take on THE THING 2, I Hope you enjoyed it and hope even more you'd like to see my take for a Final Entry in the THING franchise.