Every once in a while a film goes into development that is rumored to be connected to the Cloverfield universe. The most recent film to be speculated on is called Underwater, a new horror movie from The Signal director William Eubank. The film stars Kristen Stewart as an aquatic researcher who must fight to survive after an earthquake destroys their underwater rig.
While it may just be wishful thinking to believe that Underwater is in the Cloververse, there are some intriguing similarities between the two films. Here are five ways that Underwater could be a Cloverfield movie, along with five reasons why it won't be.
How It Could Be: The Deep-Sea Setting
Fans of the original Cloverfield will recall that Tagruato was in the business of "deep-sea oil drilling" and their subsidiary Yoshida Medical Research focused on deep-sea genetic research. After Tagruato discovered the monster, they built the Chuai Station to begin studying the creature known as Clover. In order to cover up what they were actually doing, Tagruato claimed they were drilling for oil.
It hasn’t been revealed what exactly the crew in Underwater are studying, but the setting seems to match perfectly for what a Cloverfield prequel could entail. However, that leads fans into a reason why Underwater isn’t connected to Cloverfield.
Why It Isn't: Cloverfield 4 Is Supposed To Be A Sequel
Fans were thrilled when they found out that they were getting a Cloverfield sequel right after the Super Bowl in 2018. The Cloverfield Paradox was advertised as being a sequel to the original film with the movie explaining the origins of the monster. For many fans, the movie failed to sufficiently answer these questions and ended up just muddling the timeline of the series.
Shortly after the film’s release, J.J. Abrams confirmed that Overlord was not the fourth movie in the series, but that a true Cloverfield sequel was coming “very soon”. Since Abrams is claiming the next film in the series will be a true sequel to the original, having Underwater be a prequel to the series seems unlikely.
How It Could Be: T.J. Miller
Another reason why fans think Underwater could be connected to Cloverfield is because T.J. Miller has a role in it. Miller played the character Hud Platt, who was friends with Rob, Jason, Lily, Beth, and Marlena. Hud recorded Clover’s attack on New York, but ends up being eaten alive by the monster at the end of the movie.
If Underwater were to be a Cloverfield movie, Miller would have to be playing a different character or be playing a Hud from a different dimension since there was never any mention of Hud being a deep-sea researcher. That being said, Miller has teased fans a few times on Twitter about Underwater being connected to Cloverfield. Miller has posted on Twitter three times about Underwater and each time has talked about Cloverfield.
Why It Isn't: There Isn’t An ARG
One thing that has become a staple of the Cloverfield universe is the use of ARGs (alternate reality games). ARGs were very prevalent in the first three Cloverfield movies and if a fourth film is made, it will likely have an ARG as well. As of right now, there isn’t an ARG for Underwater and there aren’t any signs that one will start up soon.
If Underwater really was a Cloverfield movie, an ARG certainly would have already started at this point. For all three of the Cloverfield movies, an ARG was started long before the trailer was released, which indicates that Underwater is not in the Cloververse.
How It Could Be: The Creature
One aspect that both Cloverfield and Underwater share is that of a giant monster. In Cloverfield, a baby monster was awakened and came out of the Atlantic Ocean to wreak havoc on New York. Smaller creatures known as Parasites also accompanied Clover when he entered the city.
While the monster in Underwater was only briefly seen in the trailer, it could possibly be connected to the Cloverfield monster. That being said, the monster seen in the trailer seems significantly smaller than Clover and doesn’t really look like a Parasite, so this one is a bit of a stretch.
Why It Isn’t: J.J. Abrams Isn’t Attached
Between shows like Lost and Alias, J.J. Abrams quickly became well-known in Hollywood. Abrams is even more well-known today because of the Star Wars and Star Trek films that he has worked on, but he has also been involved with a few movies with giant monsters.
J.J. Abrams produced/directed Super 8 and also produced all three of the Cloverfield movies thus far. Since Abrams isn’t involved with Underwater, his production company Bad Robot isn’t working on the movie, which means that Underwater won’t be in the Cloverfield universe.
How It Could Be: John Gallagher Jr.
Another familiar face that is present in the Underwater cast is John Gallagher Jr. Fans of the Cloverfield movies will recognize Gallagher as Emmett from 10 Cloverfield Lane. Emmett was a man who had helped Howard Stambler build his underground bunker, only to seek shelter there once he saw a bright red flash.
Much like T.J. Miller, Gallagher Jr. doesn’t have a name in Underwater just yet, leading Cloverfield fans to speculate what that means. The same theory about Hud would have to play out with Emmett. If Gallagher Jr. is playing the same character from 10 Cloverfield Lane, it would have to be from a different dimension since Emmett never said anything about being a deep-sea researcher.
Why It Isn’t: Cloverfield Isn’t In The Title
Not only does Underwater not have an ARG like every other Cloverfield film, but the title of the film also doesn’t have Cloverfield in the title. When 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox were in development and production, they went by the names The Cellar and God Particle respectively.
Once their trailers were released, the actual titles were revealed, both of which included the word “Cloverfield”. The poster and trailer are now out for Underwater, neither of which make any reference to Cloverfield.
How It Could Be: The Paradox
One reason why some people believe Underwater could be set in the Cloververse is because of the paradox that was created in the third movie. The film sees the crew of a spaceship test a Shepard Particle Accelerator in an attempt to create a new source of energy. Things don’t go according to plan as they end up opening portals to other dimensions and introduce Earth to monsters, demons, and beasts from the sea.
What if Underwater is set in another dimension where the particle accelerator unleashed something just as terrifying as Clover? With this in mind, there are multiple ways that fans could tie Underwater into their headcanon for Cloverfield.
Why It Isn’t: It’s Not By Paramount
While there are a lot of fun fan theories about how Underwater could be in the Cloververse, this point makes is definitive that Underwater is not a Cloverfield movie. The Cloverfield franchise is owned by Paramount Pictures, who are not connected in any way to Underwater.
Underwater is actually one of the few remaining movies Disney is distributing under the Fox banner. Because of this, there is just no way for Underwater to be a Cloverfield movie, unless Paramount sold the IP to Disney in some type of secret deal that never made it to the public. That, however, seems even more unlikely than fans getting a true Cloverfield sequel.