The upcoming films The Thing and Moneyball have landed new release dates.  The Thing, which is a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter horror film of the same name,  was originally set for April 29, 2011, but then Universal decided to give that date to the new Fast and Furious film, Fast Five.  Now Universal is tweeting that The Thing will open on October 14, 2011.  The film, which stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton, will now square off at the box office against the remake of Footloose and Paul W.S. Anderson's 3D adaptation of The Three Musketeers.

Also getting a release date is Bennett Miller's Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.  The film, which centers on how the Oakland Athletics became a competitive ballclub through utilizing statistics, will open on September 23, 2011 according to Box Office Mojo.  The only other film currently set for that date is the action flick Abduction starring Taylor Lautner and Alfred Molina.