Mary Elizabeth Winstead recently explained how she found out that 10 Cloverfield Lane was a franchise entry. Winstead, who starred opposite John Goodman in 2016's second Cloverfield franchise entry, most recently appeared as the lead in direct-to-Netflix thriller, Kate. Despite many major film roles over the years, Winstead has also found success on the small screen, most notably in season 3 of the TV adaption of Fargo.
Unlike its predecessor, an on-the-nose found-footage monster movie, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a high-tension, character-driven thriller that refuses to give its monsters up easily. Winstead plays Michelle, a woman who wakes from an accident to find herself held captive by John Goodman's Howard, who claims an attack has left the surface unhabitable and everyone above ground, dead. While Winstead is fantastic in the role of Michelle, it's Goodman as quick-to-anger Howard who steals the show, forcing Michelle to decide whether to trust his erratic, dangerous behavior or risk leaving the bunker.
During an interview with Collider, Winstead admitted she wasn't aware that 10 Cloverfield Lane was part of a larger universe until just before the movie's release. Believing that it was a standalone title, Winstead talked to J.J. Abrams just before the film's release who confirmed growing crew suspicions that it was part of the Cloverfield universe. She also said that, once she had pieced it all together, adding the Cloverfield DNA to the thriller was a smart move.
“I didn’t know it was a Cloverfield movie until just before it came out. I had no idea it was a Cloverfield movie! It was an idea that was floated around but wasn’t something that was really, officially like, ‘This is part of that universe.’ It was its own standalone film and then, just before the movie came out, spoke with JJ and it was like, ‘Oh no, this is gonna be part of the Cloverfield franchise.’" Winstead continued. "I really didn’t know what to think of it at first because I hadn’t really wrapped my brain around it and then, once everything got laid out and it made sense and the marketing for it came out, I was like, ‘Oh, I see how this fits together, this kind of puzzle,' and it’s actually really smart.”
It's not particularly surprising that Winstead didn't realize that Cloverfield Lane was part of the Cloverfield universe, as the series has a history of mistaken identity. The film changed its name twice during production, starting with two less obvious titles, The Cellar and Valencia, before finally settling on 10 Cloverfield Lane. It also wouldn't have been the only film to be wrongly attributed to Cloverfield as the Abrams-produced Overlord, as well as A Quiet Place, were both thought to be Cloverfield movies at some point in their production.
While Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane were both highly praised, the third entry into the franchise, The Cloverfield Paradox, received a lukewarm reception from critics and fans. Not to be deterred, J. J. Abrams has confirmed he has moved forward with plans to continue the Cloverfield franchise, with a direct, "true" sequel to the first film in early development. It will be interesting to see who will lead the movie, Abrams himself has yet to take the directorial role, despite being his brainchild, so perhaps it's time for the series producer to bring his franchise invigorating skills to his own universe?
Source: Collider