Cloverfield creator Matt Reeves recently teased that the secrecy surrounding the newest installment of the popular sci-fi horror franchise has reached Fight Club levels of seriousness.
The original Cloverfield film, released in 2008, has become a monster-takes-Manhattan classic. Told in found footage style, it charts a group of fleeing friends after a giant creature of unknown origins begins rampaging across the city. The film made use of viral marketing to build an entire world, which was carried on through two sequels, 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox.
In a Screen Rant interview honouring Cloverfield's 15th anniversary, Reeves, also known as the recent director of The Batman and the vampire film Let Me In, commented on the secrecy surrounding the development of more installments in the Cloverfield universe, prompting endless speculation from fans and entertainment writers about what may be in store. "I mean, it's Cloverfield. The whole thing is that Cloverfield is like Fight Club. You don't talk about Cloverfield," Reeves said. "I'll only say that I'm super excited about future iterations that we might do, but I can't give you any tidbits. They may one day just show up, to your surprise, and hopefully to your happiness."
The mystery surrounding this new Cloverfield installment is nothing new. Even the first film’s release maintained a secret aura when the project began creating a buzz in 2008 through the viral Cloverfield marketing of mysterious Japanese corporations, a strange sludgy substance, and vague NYC-in-peril trailers. Co-creators Reeves and J.J. Abrams had worked together previously, with both already beginning to make waves in Hollywood for their producing and directorial work. The mythos of the Cloverfield franchise continued to grow, with the later sequels also surrounded by mystery and utmost hush-hush until their release.
As each new movie in Cloverfield movie dropped, audiences and critics usually met them with praise or disdain. However, the unique storytelling of disparate movies in a shared universe fits the brand extensively, keeping everyone on their toes regarding what to expect. While 10 Cloverfield Lane told the story of a woman held hostage in an underground bunker during an attack on the surface that may not be real, The Cloverfield Paradox presented an explanation for the monsters in the previous films: A rip between dimensions caused by a particle accelerator created to solve the energy crisis.
Many have speculated that the newest Cloverfield film, set to be directed by Babak Anvari, could be a direct sequel to the attack of the first film. However, the secrecy surrounding the project has given fans no indication this will be true. Nevertheless, fans of the franchise are excited about this new installment and hang on to every update.
Cloverfield is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Screen Rant