Cloverfield was a huge box office hit when it released out of nowhere in 2008, grossing $172 million worldwide, but the follow-up spin-off movies (10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox) didn’t do as well. Now that a proper sequel has been announced, the question remains: are audiences still interested?
The original film helped launch filmmaker Matt Reeves into the spotlight with a little help from producer J.J. Abrams. Its basic premise was very popular at the time (found footage shows scary stuff, ala The Blair Witch Project), but that theme’s draw quickly died out. So with word that this sequel will not only lack Reeves but also have nothing to do with found footage, we wonder what the hook will be.
It’s taken 13 years but there’s finally a direct sequel to ‘Cloverfield’ on the way.
No plot details as yet but we know that it won’t be found footage.
I’m looking forwards to this, hopefully it will link to ’10 Cloverfield Lane’.
– Jamie pic.twitter.com/rZ2F7HCwvT— Last Exit To Nowhere (@LASTEXITshirts) January 31, 2021
The first spin-off in the same universe, 10 Cloverfield Lane, was actually a really good movie. It may have been polarizing for those expecting another giant monster movie, but being locked in a bunker with John Goodman proved to be scary enough.
But the second entry in that world, 2018’s The Cloverfield Paradox, did not do so well. It currently holds a 37/100 score on Metacritic.
Excited for new Cloverfield movie (actual sequel this time!!!) but.. I’m wary about this new movie not being in found footage. That set the original movie apart from other kaiju movies and I’m sad to see it lost here
— sinosauropteryxx @ Godzilla simp (@batteethh) January 30, 2021
J.J. Abram’s Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures have grabbed Joe Barton to write the new script for this sequel, although any further details are not available just yet. Barton is relatively new to the industry, but he was picked up by HBO Max to write the Batman-themed crime drama Gotham City Police Department. He’s also no stranger to alien-based sci-fi as he wrote Amazon’s Invasion, an upcoming thriller starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer.
If Abrams can pull off another blockbuster 13 years after the original, then I say more power to him. We’ll be keeping our eyes open for any more news on the Cloverfield front.
[Via Hollywood Reporter]
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