After finishing the 1988 film They Live, Carpenter was going to direct an action horror film called Shadow Company. Written by Shane Black (who was to produce it) and Fred Dekker, the project was to be executive produced by Walter Hill (who also co-wrote some of the script) with Kurt Russell in the main role. The script was about a group of US Special Forces soldiers who died during the Vietnam War. Years later, after their bodies are brought back, the soldiers, who were members of an Army project involving dark experiments, rise up from their graves, raid the armory from a nearby base, and attack the town in which they were buried, killing everyone during Christmas night. Due to problems in pre-production, the movie was never made, although the original 1988 script has gained a cult following from fans of Carpenter, Black and Dekker.