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After years and years of development and speculation, Universal Pictures' prequel to John Carpenter's classic thriller The Thing is due to begin filming March and continue till June in Toronto, reports Production Weekly.

Unless there have been top secret changes behind the curtain, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. will be directing from a screenplay by Ronald D. Moore and Eric Heisserer (A Nightmare on Elm Street).

Moore's script takes place from the Norwegian camps point of view. An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog crashes leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realize that an alien life-form with the ability to take over bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over.

No word on how much was changed by Heisserer.