It’s been four years since we last saw the Cloverfield universe, in 2018’s negatively received Netflix spin-off film The Cloverfield Paradox.
It had seemed like we would continue to get projects like this for a while, after 2008’s found footage film Cloverfield, produced by JJ Abrams and directed by The Batman’s Matt Reeves, proved a monster box office hit. 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, shot in secret, then reignited the fan base, achieving critical acclaim.
Then, after The Cloverfield Paradox failed to hit big, silence… until now. Earlier this year, it was revealed that a new sequel was in development, with Abrams producing, Reeves executive producing, I Came By’s Babak Anvari directing and The Lazarus Project’s Joe Barton on writing duties.
RadioTimes.com recently caught up with Barton exclusively, and while the writer remained coy about exactly what we can expect from the sequel, he did offer some tantalising hints.
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Barton said: “JJ Abrams, notoriously happy for you to talk about these things… he loves to share!
“I really can’t tell you anything, but I’m really, really happy. I’m excited about what we’re doing with it. I think it’s really characterful and I think it absolutely will earn its right to exist, which is what a sequel primarily has to do.”
Across the three films in the franchise to date, the series has become particularly notable for its marketing. The first film was teased with a viral marketing campaign which is still considered groundbreaking, while the second was filmed under the title The Cellar to keep its relation to the first, added during development, hidden.
The Cloverfield Paradox was similarly taken from an unconnected spec script, called God Particle, and reworked to be in the franchise. A surprise announcement was then made during the 2018 Super Bowl, with the film’s first trailer being shown alongside the reveal that it would be available on Netflix in full as soon as the game finished.
We’ll just have to wait to find out what treats the new film will have in store.
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