John Carpenter says he would like to direct a sequel to The Thing – and discusses Escape From L.A as it’s re-released in 4K.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, sci-fi and horror director John Carpenter discusses the film he’d most like to make a sequel to. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the Kurt Russell-starring body horror The Thing. Speaking of Kurt Russell, Carpenter also talks a lot about Escape From L.A., just in time for its 4K re-release.
In The Thing, an terrifying extra-terrestrial creature that can take on the appearance of others plagues a group of researchers in Antarctica. The horrifying scenario leads to a state of heightened paranoia and plenty of gory scenes. The cult classic has already had a spin-off made, an unfortunate 2011 prequel that Carpenter had no involvement in. Interestingly, Carpenter wants to make a film set after the original. “I would like to do a sequel to The Thing, or a continuation. Something like that,” the director said. If it ever comes to be, it’ll be interesting to see where a sequel would go. Especially considering the original’s bleak ending.
Another of his films that he has considered following up is 1984’s Starman. The sci-fi romance starred Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, and inspired a short-lived TV series of the same name in 1986. Allen has previously expressed that she would like to continue the story, and it seems Carpenter agrees. “I’ve talked to Jeff [Bridges] about it, too”, he adds.
Carpenter has also opened up about a sequel he’s already made – Escape From L.A. At the time of release in 1996, the film was not well received by critics. Despite that, Carpenter considers it to be better than the original in some ways. “Escape From New York had Donald Pleasance as the President of the United States, which to me was great. But Escape From L.A. has Peter Fonda and Kurt Russell surfing. Doesn’t get much better than that.”
Escape From L.A. is out now in 4K as part of a limited edition collector’s set. It’s a bit pricey, but from the looks of things a regular 4K release is coming in late March.
Carpenter’s next films are Halloween Ends and Firestarter. He is using his musical talents to compose the score for both movies alongside Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies.
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