John Carpenter Teases THE THING Sequel: “We’re Working on It Now”

Some horror movies get sequels before the blood has dried. The Thing has made fans wait more than four decades, and John Carpenter is once again saying thata sequel may finally be happening for his sci-fi horror masterpiece.

During an appearance at Fan Expo Chicago, Carpenter was asked about the possibility of a sequel to his 1982 classic, and his response was short but is sure says a lot:

“We’re working on it now”

When pressed for more information, he followed it up with:

“Yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see.”

So, is The Thing 2 actually happening? Maybe! Carpenter certainly makes it sound like something is being discussed or developed, but his second comment gives fans plenty of reason to keep expectations under control.

It’s crazy to think that The Thing wasn’t always considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made. The film, starring Kurt Russell as R.J. MacReady and Keith David as Childs, was hammered by critics and struggled with audiences when it arrived in theaters in 1982.

The Thing is an untouchable cult classic and is still quoted, analyzed, and revisited, while its incredible practical creature effects remain some of the best ever put on screen.

Carpenter’s latest comment also isn’t the first time he has hinted that another Thing could be lurking somewhere in development. He offered an almost identical response when asked about a sequel last year, and in 2023 he revealed that he couldn’t say much because there “may be a Thing 2.”

The original movie certainly left the door open. MacReady and Childs are the apparent final survivors at Outpost 31, sitting across from one another as the station burns around them. Neither man knows whether the other is still human, and Carpenter refuses to provide audiences with a comforting answer before the credits roll.

It’s one of the reasons the ending works so well, but it also provides plenty of material for a continuation. Did either of them survive? Was one already assimilated? Did the creature make it out of Antarctica? And if it did, how do you tell a sequel without turning the entire planet into one enormous Thing-infested nightmare?

I imagine not every fan wants those questions answered because The Thing works partly because of what it refuses to explain, and answering every mystery could rob the original ending of some of its power. But I’m open to see what kind of story Carpenter would want to tell!

A sequel could explore what happened decades after Outpost 31, while another prequel could dig into events surrounding the creature before the original story. We already got one attempt at a prequel with 2011’s The Thing, but there’s certainly more mythology a filmmaker could explore if the right idea came along.

There’s also a healthy amount of skepticism surrounding Carpenter’s latest tease. Fans have heard variations of this conversation before, and until a studio announces anything, The Thing 2 remains more possibility than reality.

Carpenter has been fielding questions about The Thing for decades, and cryptic comments don’t necessarily mean cameras are preparing to roll. Still, “We’re working on it now” is enough to get fans excited.

If The Thing 2 really is moving forward, it needs more than updated creature effects and another group of terrified people trying to figure out who’s human. It needs an idea worthy of Carpenter’s original.

Until Carpenter or the studio reveals more, though, fans can resume their favorite The Thing tradition: distrusting absolutely everything.