Back in 2008, Paramount released a small first-person, found footage style monster movie known as Cloverfield. The film did much better than anticipated at the box office, grossing just over $170 million on a $25 million budget. The concept of a monster movie done from the perspective of the people living through the event had been done before, but not like this. The success of the film led many to wonder if a sequel would ever be made, but there was no word on such a followup. That is, until at the turn of this year when the first teaser was released for 10 Cloverfield Lane.
This was not a direct sequel, but instead a film set within the same Cloverfield universe. This time, new aliens and characters were the focus, and Paramount Pictures is not stopping there.
The Wrap has revealed that the upcoming film currently known as God Particle will in fact be the third movie under the Cloverfield umbrella. The report states that this will be the beginning of Paramount's plan to release one new film in the shared universe every year. JJ Abrams is once again producing the project, which had previously led some to theorize that this could be the case, but Julius Onah will direct God Particle. The cast of film includes John Krasinski, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Bruhl, Elizabeth Debicki, Ziyi Zhang, David Oyelowo, and more. The previously reported plot centered around astronauts stuck in space, but this could be slightly or majorly altered.
The reveal that God Particle is part of the Cloverfield franchise is not a complete surprise, but it is surprising for the (unofficial) reveal to occur now. For 10 Cloverfield Lane, Paramount did not reveal the connection until the first teaser was released just two months before the movie. Prior to being titled 10 Cloverfield Lane, the movie was called The Cellar, which should point to God Particle getting a new title at some point so that it includes the Cloverfield name.
While the exact connections to the Cloverfield franchise are not yet known, if the reported plot details are true, it will further explore the reaches of these attacks. Cloverfield focused on a group evading the attack, then 10 Cloverfield Lane focused on the paranoia of these reports and the eventual escape of Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Should God Particle take place in space, it will certainly be an interesting development into the continued invasion Earth is experiencing.
In the meantime, this is only the beginning of the franchise, which seems to be a smart move by the studio. Both previous films have been made with small budgets and have turned a profit by coming out at the beginning of the year. With a Cloverfield universe reportedly in the works, this does open up the potential for crossover between franchises down the road. Winstead drives off to help others in need at the end of 10 Cloverfield Lane, which makes her character a prime candidate to reappear down the road.
If this is going to be the case, they will have to explain how and why different types of monsters and aliens are simultaneously attacking Earth. Cloverfield is so far just merely a brand name that signals the presence of a larger, out of this world threat. If this is going to be a connected universe, Paramount will have to start connecting the dots of these solo ventures, which could open up the door for literal sequels or a potential team up down the road.
Source: The Wrap