With The Thing prequel headed to theaters whether you like it or not, it was only a matter of time before we got a look at how they're planning to diminish the memory of the excellent John Carpenter film. These pics show stars Joel Edgerton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mr. Eko, and Eric Christian Olsen running around the Norwegian camp and killing an off-screen The Thing with fire. Unless they're Things themselves. Now I don't know who to trust. Quick, say something un-Thing like!! (HitFix)
Check out the Anartic-y pics after the jump…

Rising stars Teresa Palmer and Joel Edgerton are returning to Australia for some reason. The actors have signed on for the Australian film Say Nothing. They star as a young couple who keep their traps shut after their friend goes missing during a group vacation to South East Asia. It took some time, but I'm glad they finally got around to making a less-talky version of Say Anything. If the silent boombox scene doesn't melt your heart, you're black inside. (Moviehole)

Animal Kingdom, the repetitively-described Australian crime drama, was loved by all when it debuted at Sundance. That's to be expected when your film includes music from bands like Air Supply. If 1980's comedies have taught me anything, it's that Air Supply is huge in ski resorts and mountain towns. The movie tells the story of a family of criminals as they are descended upon and taken apart by a group of detectives when one of their own turns on them. Think of it as a dramatic take on The Goonies. Without the pirate ship and kids and deformities. Watch the full trailer to see what all the buzz is about after the jump…

Last month we posted the casting breakdown for Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s prequel to The Thing, and today there's word that the protagonists have been selected. Scream queen Mary Elizabeth Winstead and rugged Kurt Russell-proxy Joel Edgerton have signed on to be drenched in blood and guts. Winstead will play Kate Lloyd, a Ph.D. candidate who travels with Norwegian scientists to Antartica to investigate an alien craft frozen in the ice. The alien escapes and begins systematically ripping the scientists limb-from-limb. Edgerton plays Sam Carter, the badass helicopter pilot who doesn't trust them queefy doctors and trusts his own gut over their rich-boy "science." He eventually teams with Winstead to destroy the Thing.I've got mixed feelings about this prequel. I like this casting and am eager to see who else signs on, but this group of filmmakers has their work cut out for them despite their talents. The original was so good that the bar was set impossibly high. Also impossibly high, anyone who thinks this will measure up to the original. (THR)