The Thing Director John Carpenter Honored with Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame

Forty-two years after The Thing unjustly flopped in theaters and threw a major wrench into his directing career, John Carpenter is getting the recognition he so richly deserves. The 76-year-old filmmaker — whose legendary resume also includes Halloween, The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13, Escape from New York, Christine, Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, and In the Mouth of Madness — will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year, the selection committee announced this week.

“The Walk of Fame has made history again! As Chairman of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee, I am thrilled to announce the distinguished honorees who will grace the iconic Walk of Fame in the Class of 2025. Each honoree truly embodies the essence of excellence in their respective fields,” Chairman Peter Roth said in a statement. "The committee and I cannot wait to see our honorees becoming part of this world-famous walkway!"

For More on John Carpenter:
Why Every John Carpenter Fan Should See Assault on Precinct 13
The Thing Oral History: Cast and Crew Reveal Secrets of John Carpenter's Sci-Fi Horror Masterpiece
Why John Carpenter Prefers Making Music to Making Movies

John Carpenter to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025

Carpenter reacted to the news in a state of shock. "There must be some mistake," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), with thousands of fans and industry veterans rushing into the comments section to assure him this honor should have taken place a long time ago. "I just assumed you got one decades ago," joked Star Wars alum Mark Hamill, who got a star in 2018.

The director's wife and Storm King Productions founder, Sandy King Carpenter, showed him some literal love, writing: "I love my husband" along with a heart emoji. The Thing producer Stuart Cohen, meanwhile, voiced his surprise and excitement via a famous line from the 1982 movie: "You've got to be f***ing kidding." Tom Holland, director of such '80s horror classics as Fright Night and Child's Play, described the achievement as "well-deserved."

"Thank you all for the kind words," Carpenter added in a follow-up post.

While he hasn't directed a movie since 2010's The Ward (now streaming on Peacock), Carpenter has kept busy with his two greatest passions beyond the world of cinema: video games and music. The latter led him to compose original scores for David Gordon Green's recent trilogy of Halloween films and Universal's reimagining of Firestarter alongside his son, Cody, and godson, Daniel Davies.

Other members of the 2025 class include Jessica Chastain, Bill Duke, Robert Englund, Emilio Estevez, Colin Farrell, Jane Fonda, Nia Long, Lisa Lu, Glynn Turman, Toni Vaz, Fran Drescher, Lauren Graham, Bill Nye, Molly Shannon, Sherri Shepherd, Courtney B. Vance, Chris Wallace, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Fantasia, Depeche Mode, Los Bukis, The B-52s, Green Day, The Isley Brothers, Busta Rhymes, George Strait, Keith Urban, WAR, Prince (Posthumous), Misty Copeland, Alan Cumming, Adam Carolla, David Beckham, and Orel Hershiser.

Click here to own The Thing now on the home-viewing format of your choice! Want more Carpenter goodness? Head on over to Peacock for Assault on Precinct, Dark Star, The Ward, and John Carpenter's Suburban Screams.