{Note: I had chose THEY LIVE to be remade because ever since I watched John Carpenter's The Thing and They Live they fit together in a very odd and weird way. To me They Live was the Thing Sequel that was never made. It dealt with many of the different themes of the Thing in a very odd manor, but also tackled it's own issues and allowed itself to be a perfectly functioning film. When it came time to really put my Ideas to paper, instead of doing a hammed up version of They Live with different characters, I decided that it would be better suited to do it as a remake retooled to fit this universe. In this Synopsis it ties together all the Thing Films, From The original "THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD" to the 2011 Prequel "THE THING" and the inclusion of my very own "THE THING 2" I was able to piece together a proper Ending to the THING Mythos using the body of They Live as a host/vessel. It is with an entirely pure love and respect for the Materials I decided to do this. This is a work of a fan, not an executive. And while this might not be as well formed as the other Film or even as well formed as my THING 2 Synopsis, it does get the ideas I wanted down to paper and allows me to share a very cool and creative fan cast to honor John Carpenter's Masterpiece. Sorry for the long note and thanks for reading.]
The Thing has been sent to Earth, taking place roughly around the same time as The Thing 2, an Alien Species has sent the Thing Virus into the Earth Populace to rob them of Their Humanity and "Mine" The Earth for it's resources. Using "X-Ray" Goggles to see who are and aren't assimilated by the Thing Virus, or Aliens themselves as it Quietly attempts to take over the world. An out of Work Construction worker, John Nada, ventures to L.A. Looking for Work, he's hired on for construction. Befriended by another grunt Frank Armitage {Brother to Barney}. After a police raid at the homeless shelter and church he's staying in, he finds a box of goggles. After he discovers the frightening truth, he attempts to gain help from his boss, Frank, and T.V. Personality Holly Thompson to help him fight against the alien infection.
Attacking the Alien's Elite Hall, they Discover the "Thing-Prime", an Alien who looks like the James Arness "Thing" from the 1951 Film, overseeing the quiet assimilation of the elite and reporting back to his superiors on their home planet - He Reveals they sent the Specimen that cost the Ellida to go out of control, testing their Assimilation virus to see how controlled it could be under extreme conditions, stating it took another couple years to perfect it, having used it on thousands of worlds. But with the perfected strain it has disadvantages such as basic human vulnerabilities and that the strain that infects the earth is as Perfected as the Thing Could be. This allowed THING-Prime to bring members of his race to Earth without detection. Nada and Frank are able to kill the Alien, using intense electricity and destroy it's connecting beacon to their Home world assisting the ongoing battle of Resistance against the ruling class that are infected! But before they can completely destroy it Holly Murders Frank, and is killed herself by Nada, who dies destroying the Alien's only close link to Earth.
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.
Francis Lawrence [Notable Works: I Am Legend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Constantine]: I love Francis as a director. He's immensely Talented and has done fantastic work in his projects. He would add the fun and action element that Carpenter Captured but he would also really make it what I believe it should be... A sequel to The Thing!
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.
Roger Avary [Notable Works: Pulp Fiction, Beowulf, Silent Hill]: He's a fantastic Writer. He co-wrote Pulp Fiction with Tarantino, he scribbed the first decent video game adaptation Silent Hill, and in an all around way he would be perfect for the type of script. It would really challenge him and yet allow him a good amount of Freedom.
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.
James Newton Howard [Notable Works: Signs, The Dark Knight, I Am Legend]: A wonderful Composer, who's work in Signs convinced me he could do both mixtures of action and real emotional drama which would be a heavy plus in my book. Sure his score's tone would be vastly different but he would grasp the fun and the danger of the situation.
John Nada [Height: 6' 0", Age: 30's-40's]: A homeless Construction worker traveling the United States. A workingman with a very ethical code of Honor. He believes in the Country and in the American Dream. But once he is subjected to the truth his life turns into a living nightmare as he attempts to bring back the good Ol' U.S. Of A.
Jon Bernthal [Height: 5' 10", Age: 37, Notable Works: Mob City, Snitch, Walking Dead]: Jon was originally in my "The Thing II" Cast but when i really started to work on The Thing Lives no one else fit Nada. When I looked at Jon for the role he fit instantly. He's an amazing actor and would really do as well with the role as Roddy Piper. Jon is an actor who really has that all American worker quality that Roddy gave off and really that's what made them work so well in the first place.
Frank Armitage [Height: 6' 2", Age: 40's]: Another hardworking man, originally from Detroit he ventured out West in hopes of finding a job that would allow him to provide for his family. He sends most of his paycheck to them, back in Detroit. He does his best to give advice to strangers but stays out of anyone else's way. He keeps to himself in that regard and wishes for others to do the same.
Chad Coleman [Height: 6' 4" {Estimated}, Age: 42 {Estimated}, Notable Works: The Walking Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, The Wire]: His physical stats were hard to find, so I had to estimate. Either way he was by far the best choice for the role. He fit it oh so perfectly in so many ways. He really gives off the same "Working Class Citizen" that Keith David gave off and would be absolutely perfect as Frank.
Holly Thompson [Height: 5' 6 1/2", Age: 30's-40's]: A T.V. Executive who seems unwise to the Alien insertion into modern America. She is kidnapped by Nada and used to escape. But once Nada seems to open her eyes she assists him until it's revealed she holds membership of the Alien's elite ruling class members and attempts to stop John from ridding the Earth of the THINGS.
Rachel Wiesz [Height: 5' 7" Age: 43, Notable Works: Constantine, The Bourne Legacy, Dream House]: Rachel is a radiant and wonderful actress. She does such fantastic work and was the only actress I could put in this role and really see it working. She's a beautiful performer and Would really just have fun with this.
Gilbert [Height: 5' 11", Age: 40's-50's]: A paranoid man, who sees the truth as it happens. He attempts to build a rebellion against the Aliens. He wants Earth to belong to the Humans again and is willing to do anything to get it.
Jackie Earle Haley [Height: 5' 5", Age: 52, Notable Works: Watchmen, Little Children, A Nightmare on Elm Street {2010}]: Jackie is a great actor. He's always fun to see on screen and would be dynamite in the role. It gives him something a little fresh to do and it also lets him have a little fun. He would be perfect!
Street Preacher [Height: 6' 2", Age: 50's-60's]: A blind old Preacher who claims to be able to see the truth behind the Aliens. He allows Gilbert to use the Church as a front for the Rebellion and welcomes anyone willing to join them.
Danny Glover [Height: 6' 4", Age: 67, Notable Works: Lethal Weapon {Franchise}, Predator 2, Saw]: Danny is a wonderful actor and by far one of the best to ever work in hollywood. He's a good person too, a true freedom fighter and that attracted me to cast him as the Preacher. He's essentially playing a more exaggerated version of himself.
Thing-Prime [Height: 6' 7", Age: Unknown]: A member of the race sometimes noted as "The Things" He was an intelligent member of the species, having set up the plan to assimilate earth. After one of his Thing Brethren were sent to Earth but the cold drove him into a mad homicidal trance. Thing-Prime uses parts of his "spawn" to develop the Thing Virus that attempts to assimilate the Unworthy. Using his home world technology he was able to create a homing beacon that hid the appearance of his Brethren making them look like normal human beings.
Michael Shannon [Height: 6' 3", Age: 39, Notable Works: Iceman, Man of Steel, Take Shelter]: Honestly as I was putting this story together I always imagined the characters to get a good base of what they look, sound, and feel like. And with the Thing-Prime character Michael Shannon was the only actor I was able to really see in the role. He has an unsettling nature about his performances. He can go to a very cold and heartless place in his performances without his characters reading out as dry. He is just what I felt would be the perfect iteration of this character.
This concludes My take on Sequels to THE THING!