8 Movie Franchises That Have Gender Swapped

John Carpenter’s The Thing is noteworthy for being one of the few all-male movies in existence; with the exception of a female voice and a few pictures, the cast is comprised entirely of manly dudes like Kurt Russell and Keith David.

When the time came to make the prequel the screenwriters were looking to change things up, so they decided to throw a Ripley-esqe character into the lead. This would prove to be one of the few inspired touches, because while the movie isn’t great Mary Elisabeth Winstead really holds it together. The Thing 2011 is more remake than prequel (a pre-make?), repeating the key beats of the original.

Winstead is believably terrified by the shape-shifting alien business, but she also knows how to rock a flamethrower when needs be. It’s too bad she’s wasted in a movie that’s content to copy the infinitely superior original, but she manages to make the whole thing a pleasant watch regardless.