Hmm...not sure what to think about this. Not only is Carpenter's movie a classic, the original is a minor classic in it's own right. So they have a heck of a hill to climb. Also, part of what made those movies great was the relative simplicity of the plot, allowing for more character development. If the full length novel makes it more complicated than I wonder if we will lose some of that.
I think the smartest thing they could do is call the movie Frozen Hell, allowing it to stand at least somewhat on it's own to the general public.