John Carpenter is interested in making a sequel to The Thing – and hints discussions are already happening

(Image credit: Universal)

The Thing director John Carpenter has revealed that he's open to making a sequel to the iconic sci-fi horror movie, hinting that discussions are already taking place.

When asked which of his movies he would like to revisit for a sequel in an interview with Fandom, Carpenter said: "Maybe The Thing. Maybe Prince of Darkness. I can see a little bit more of that. But we’ll see. You never know in this business. You really don’t."

The Thing was released in 1982 and follows a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter the titular Thing, a parasitic alien that can imitate other life forms – the team is overcome with paranoia as they realize that any one of them could be the Thing. The movie stars Kurt Russell as the team's helicopter pilot. A prequel (also titled The Thing) starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead was released in 2011, but no one sequels or reboots have followed.

"I just think there’s another bit of a story to tell there, which I’m not going to tell you about," Carpenter continued. "But there have been some discussions about The Thing and what we could do because, as far as we know, both those two main characters – Childs [Keith David] and MacReady [Russell] – are still alive. They were alive at the end of The Thing, so maybe they’re still alive."

When asked if Russell would return for a sequel, Carpenter said he didn't know.

Carpenter has also directed movies like the original Halloween, The Fog, and Escape From New York. He hasn't directed since 2010's The Ward, a psychological horror movie starring Amber Heard, but he was an executive producer on 2018's Halloween and 2021's Halloween Kills.

While we wait to see if a sequel to The Thing ever comes to the big screen, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.