Per Deadline, another Cloverfield film is in the works at Paramount.
Babak Anvari (Under The Shadow, Wounds) has reportedly been tapped to direct this latest installment in the franchise, with Joe Barton writing the script. J.J. Abrams is producing via his Bad Robot production company.
Just like all the previous Cloverfield films – which have consisted of a trailer without a title, two movies that were only revealed as Cloverfield films at the end of production, and a surprise release on Netflix right after the Super Bowl – details are being kept close to the vest.
It’s unclear whether this is a direct sequel to the original 2008 film, or another anthology film set in the same universe as 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox were.
Despite the clever marketing tricks, it’s hard to tell whether audiences still care about the franchise, which always promises interesting things at the end of the movies, and then never delivers. The poor reception The Cloverfield Paradox received, as well as the negativity surrounding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, suggests audiences are getting tired of Abrams’ mystery box antics.
Although Anvari is directing here, Abrams’ fingerprints will be all over the production. Anvari’s career so far has been a mixed bag. Debut Under The Shadow was an excellent Persian-language horror film set in Tehran during the War of the Cities, but his follow-up, Wounds, was soundly ridiculed. He just released thriller I Came By to Netflix, which received mixed reviews.
Anvari also has a TV development deal at AMC through his company Two & Two, where they are developing a slate of projects.
Don’t expect to hear much about this Cloverfield project for a while with production likely keeping everything under wraps. At this point, audiences might be most interested in the franchise’s strange marketing exercises developed for each film, rather than the movie itself. But we’ll hold out hope that Anvari and Abrams can deliver something good in front of the camera too.
#Peace.Love.Cloverfield
