The original Cloverfield is finally getting a direct sequel

Cloverfield
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

A Cloverfield sequel is in the works, according to THR.

The Cloverfield sequel reportedly won't be a found-footage movie like its predecessor, nor will it bring back Cloverfield director Matt Reeves. Joe Barton, who recently became the new showrunner for the upcoming HBO Max prequel series to Reeves' The Batman, is penning the Cloverfield sequel script, while J.J. Abrams is returning to produce under his Bad Robot Productions banner.

We don't have any concrete plot or cast details just yet, but it is being described as a sequel, so presumably it'll take place after the events of the original Cloverfield, which ended with a clear suggestion that the giant monster terrorizing New York City is still alive.

Cloverfield was one of the most talked-about horror movies of 2008, thanks in-part to a viral marketing campaign that ran cryptic teasers before showings of major theatrical releases like Transformers and Beowulf. The movie eventually spawned a franchise with 2016's 10 Cloverfield Lane and 2018's The Cloverfield Paradox, but those movies tell self-contained stories without any obvious connection to 2008's Cloverfield, so a direct sequel should be a gift to fans of the series.

It doesn't sound like there's a director nailed down just yet, but in a 2019 interview with GamesRadar, 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg had this to say about a potential Cloverfield sequel: "The answer to making a sequel to that movie or another thing, yeah totally," he said. "It's fun to joke around, like, 'What if in the next one this happened?' Over the years there's been several that were, 'Oh, that'd be cool!' But nothing that's crystallized into, 'Oh, we definitely want to do that.' And JJ [Abrams] of course has to wrap his brain around what he wants to do with that stuff."

Here are all the upcoming movies of 2021 and beyond we can't wait to see.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Latest in Sci-Fi Movies
Millie Bobby Brown in The Electric State
All of the Best Picture winners of the last 10 years combined still have a lower budget than the Russo brothers’ new Netflix movie
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
The Rise of Skywalker
Despite those retirement reports, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy is "very involved" in the Rey Star Wars movie, according to Daisy Ridley
The Iron Mask
The 32 greatest swashbuckler movies ever made
Giancarlo Esposito in The Electric State
The Electric State star Giancarlo Esposito explains why adapting the bleak novel into a family friendly adventure was the right decision: "I'm going to bring my children with me"
Giancarlo Esposito in The Electric State
The Electric State may be the Russo brothers' most challenging VFX project yet, but stars Stanley Tucci and Giancarlo Esposito say it's one of the easiest films they’ve ever done
Latest in News
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
After concerns from Valve, creators of CS:GO mod that aimed to "recreate the 1.6 vibe" are now "auditing the current build" to comply with guidelines
Threads of Time
Picking up where Chrono Trigger left off 30 years later, this love letter to the classic JRPG has me in awe of its stunning pixel art – and now there's even a sky pirate
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing a chatacabra battling a hunter
Monster Hunter Wilds' new event quest is the best one yet: bully a Chatacabra for "a pile of Hard and Advanced Armor Spheres"
Zenless Zone Zero screenshot of Soldier 11 eating crackers
Actors supporting AI protections didn't know they were being replaced in Zenless Zone Zero update 1.6: "I found out the role was recast today alongside all of you"
Wall World 2
The $5 roguelike banger that turned Terraria into a sci-fi tower defense game is getting a bigger, deeper sequel
Lea Myren as Elvira in The Ugly Stepsister
Cinderella body horror movie that made viewers sick gets release date, and it’s coming very soon