Spoiler TV has what looks to be a real casting call for Matthijs van Heijningen’s prequel to THE THING. Apparently it is VERY spoiler heavy, so I personally will avoid reading the whole thing. However, you can feel free to give it a gander if you want – just head right on over HERE.
I will say that the lead seems to be a female paleontologist, who joins a research team headed by a brilliant scientist in Antarctica. There’s also a rugged pilot (of course), a Norwegian geoscientist, and a host of assistants and Thing victims.
Spoiler TV also attached a synopsis – not sure if it’s the “official” one that Universal will be using or not, but it’s pretty much what you’d expect:
In a remote Antarctica outpost, an alien spaceship is discovered far beneath the ice. When a group of ambitious scientists decide to thaw out one of the creatures inside, they’re in for the terrifying fight of their lives…
The screenplay was written by Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica”) and Eric Heisserer (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET). Filming begins MARCH 15th in Toronto, so look for a 2011 release date to be announced in the near future.