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"Andromeda Strain," "Thing" remakes on way

By Zap2it.com

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The Sci Fi Channel is raiding its parent company's vaults to remake two classics of the genre, with the help of some big-name producers.

Brothers Ridley and Tony Scott will executive produce a remake of "The Andromeda Strain," while Frank Darabont will oversee a reworking of "The Thing." Both projects will be four-hour miniseries; airdates are yet to be determined.

"The Andromeda Strain," based on Michael Crichton's first novel, first hit theaters in 1971. It follows a team of scientists working to contain an alien virus that has wiped out a small town. Ridley ("Alien," "Gladiator," "Blade Runner") and Tony Scott ("Top Gun," "Enemy of the State") will serve as executive producers with Tom Thayer and writer Robert Schenkkan ("The Quiet American"), who won a Pulitzer Prize for his stage drama "The Kentucky Cycle."

David Leslie Johnson is writing the adaptation of "The Thing," which has been filmed previously in 1951 (as "The Thing from Another World") and 1982. Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") and David Foster, who produced John Carpenter's 1982 version of the story, will executive produce.

The Scotts and Darabont join a growing list of A-list producers and directors who have teamed with Sci Fi on movie and miniseries projects, including Steven Spielberg ("Taken," the upcoming "Nine Lives"), Bryan Singer and Dean Devlin ("The Triangle") and Martin Scorsese ("The Twelve").

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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