Last month, in the wake of the massive global success ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, most believed directorJ.J. Abramswould be off somewhere disappearing for a few months, finally relaxing after two years of undoubtedly the most stressful filmmaking of his career. But no, Abrams wasn’t keen to just sit back and take it easy for a while—he had an ace up his sleeve. Out of nowhere, Paramount droppedthe trailer for10 Cloverfield Lanelast month, finally announcing the arrival of the long-awaitedCloverfieldsequel—or was it?
The exact nature of10 Cloverfield Lane’s relationship to theMatt Reeves-directed 2008 film remains, unsurprisingly, a mystery, with Abrams only offering thatthe new film is a “blood relative”to the found footage monster pic. But if Abrams has his way,10 Cloverfield Lanewon’t be the end of the line as far as the franchise (for lack of a better word) is concerned.
Speaking withEW, Abrams declined to elaborate on10 Cloverfield Lane’s relationship toCloverfield, but he did reveal they have an idea for a third film that they’d like to see happen if10 Cloverfield Laneis a success:
“I think [categorizing them] would be presumptuous, because we’re talking about this movie and comparing it toCloverfield, but I would be lying if I didn’t say there was something else that, if we’re lucky enough to do it, could be really cool that connects some stories.”
Rumors have swirled that the basic conceit for10 Cloverfield Laneis to set up aTwilight Zone-esque series, in which various different kinds of stories could be told within a similar tonal universe. Or it’s possible that10 Cloverfield Laneis a secret prequel or sequel toCloverfield, as it revolves around a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who wakes up to find herself in an underground bunker with two men (John GoodmanandJohn Gallagher Jr.) who claim to have saved her from an unknown menace outside. Is it the Cloverfield monster? Are these the survivors of the attack on New York? These are tantalizing questions that fans are eager to see answered.
So if10 Cloverfield Laneis a hit—and judging by the fan interest, it very well could be—Abrams hopes to produce anotherCloverfieldmovie:
“This is just this movie, and it’s only two films that we’re talking about right now. There is something else that we’d like to do, and hopefully we’ll get a shot.”
Dan Trachtenbergdirected10 Cloverfield Laneon a very modest budget, with a limited cast, so one imagines the overhead on these types of films isn’t huge. Meaning it’s possible Paramount and Abrams (as producer) could continue making moreCloverfieldmovies on smaller budgets with big concepts, which equals big profits if the films hit big at the box office. And bringing in talented young filmmakers to take the helm of these films is another smart route, so all in all, I’d definitely be game to see Abrams continue expanding thisCloverfielduniverse.
First, though, there’s the matter of find out just what10 Cloverfield Laneis. Luckily we don’t have long to wait—the film hits theaters on March 11th.
