Not only is 2011's 1982 sci-fi film. Directed by Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr (The Forgotten Battle), and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 2011's The Thing focuses on a group of scientists at a Norwegian Antarctic research station who discover an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. Much like in John Carpenter's movie, and the original 1951 film adaptation of John W. Campbell's novella Who Goes There?, The Thing from Another World, the alien springs to life and begins killing people one by one.

Despite the plot similarities to both 1982's The Thing, and 1951's The Thing from Another World, 2011's The Thing is not a traditional remake of either film. Instead, it works hard to fit into the same canon as John Carpenter's film, with plenty of callbacks and references to the 1982 movie. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer described his writing process when constructing 2011's The Thing as an "autopsy" of the events of John Carpenter's film, according to an interview with Bloody Disgusting. This is due to 2011's The Thing's nature as a prequel to John Carpenter's movie.

The Thing 2011 Leads Straight Into John Carpenter's Original Movie

Mary Elizabeth Winstead in The Thing(2011)

The Thing's ending leads straight into the opening sequence of John Carpenter's film. After Mary Elizabeth-Winstead's Kate Lloyd drives away in a Snowcat, it is revealed that Lars, the dog handler who doesn't speak English, (Jørgen Langhelle) is still alive, back at the Norwegian research base. Matias (Ole Martin Aune Nilsen) returns in the helicopter and the two chase after one of Lars' dogs after realizing that it is actually a Thing.

This sequence leads perfectly into the opening scene of John Carpenter's The Thing, where two Norwegian men in a helicopter chase a dog onto the grounds of the American research station. In the chaos, Lars accidentally blows both himself and the helicopter up, while Matias ends up getting shot by Garry (Donald Moffat) after firing a rifle toward the American base. Thus, the Thing lives to menace the occupants of another Antarctic research base.

Why 2011's The Thing Is A Prequel, Not A Sequel

Carter and Kate point their weapons in The Thing 2011

One of the main reasons that 2011's The Thing is a prequel is that sequels to John Carpenter's The Thing already existed before its release. A set of comic books, written by screenwriter Chuck Pfarrer, were published by Dark Horse Comics in 1991. They were set a day after the events of 1982's The Thing, and John Carpenter even considers this comic to be a worthy sequel to his story, according to comingsoon.net. Another Carpenter-endorsed sequel arose in 2002, in the form of the video game The Thing. 2011's The Thing wanted to explore new ground by telling the Norwegians' story rather than retreading a comic book or video game.

Sources: Bloody Disgusting, comingsoon.net