Cloverfield is an American science fiction anthology film series and media franchise created and produced by J. J. Abrams consisting of three films, viral marketing websites linking the films together, and a tie-in manga to the first film titled Cloverfield/Kishin (2008), all set in a shared fictional universe referred to as the "Cloververse".
The franchise deals with creatures from other dimensions attacking Earth in various decades, all as a repercussion of an experiment by an astronaut team aboard the outer-space Cloverfield Station in the near-future. Each film depicts the reality-altering effects of their study, which was meant to find a new energy source replacing the planet's depleted resources, only to open portals for assault from various beasts from deep space. All three installments are standalone in nature, though they connect through the Cloverfield story thread. A direct sequel to the first film was announced to be in development in early 2021.
Films Cloverfield (2008)
The first film of the series, released in 2008, is a found-footage monster horror film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk, and written by Drew Goddard. Before settling on an official title, the film was marketed as 01-18-08. The film, which is presented as found footage shot with a home camcorder, follows six people fleeing from a gigantic monster that attacks New York City while they are having a farewell party. The film was well received by critics and grossed over $170 million at the box office against a $25 million budget. Cloverfield was first publicized with a two-minute teaser trailer that did not advertise the film's title, only its release date: 01-18-08 (referring to January 18, 2008). Elements of the viral marketing campaign included MySpace pages created for fictional characters, unusually intense secrecy over the film's plot, and websites created for fictional companies alluded to in the film.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
The second film, released in 2016, is a psychological horror film with science fiction elements directed by Dan Trachtenberg, produced by Abrams and Lindsey Weber, and written by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken, and Damien Chazelle. The film was developed from a script titled The Cellar, but under production by Bad Robot it was ultimately adapted to be set in the same universe as the first Cloverfield film, thus establishing the grounds for a franchise.
The film follows a young woman in rural Louisiana, who is held in an underground bunker with two men who insist that a hostile event has left the surface of the Earth uninhabitable. The film presents the questionable truth of such statements made by the owner of the bunker. The film is presented in a typical third-person narrative, in contrast to its predecessor's found footage style. Critical response was largely positive, and the film grossed over $110 million against a $15 million budget.
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
The third film, released in 2018 on Netflix, is a science fiction horror film directed by Julius Onah, produced by Abrams and Weber, and written by Oren Uziel and Doug Jung. It is based on Uziel's original spec script God Particle which, like 10 Cloverfield Lane, was initially unconnected to the Cloverfield title. Set in 2028, the film follows a team of astronauts who are left stranded in space after they perform a particle accelerator test that causes their vessel, the Cloverfield Station, to travel into an alternate universe, from which they must find their way back. Meanwhile, the test causes other realities to open up on their home Earth, creating supernatural attacks across parallel universes. After the script was purchased by Paramount and Bad Robot, Abrams saw ways to adapt the film to be a centerpiece of the Cloverfield franchise; with the particle accelerator accident, he liked "how something in the future could be an origin for something in the past" to explain the events of the previous films and set up for additional narratives.
By December 2016, Paramount Pictures removed God Particle from its schedule, and in its place a Cloverfield IMAX Film was added, to be released on February 2, 2018. On January 2, 2018, the film's release date was pushed back to April 20, 2018. At that time, the film's title was rumored to be Cloverfield Station. On February 4, 2018, during Super Bowl LII, a TV spot was shown announcing the film's title, The Cloverfield Paradox, followed by a surprise release of the film on Netflix after the game. The film received mostly negative critical reception. Paramount executives stated that handing off the release to Netflix was an easy way to get instant return on the film, and the surprise reveal and release a good way to keep in line with the "mystique" of the franchise. That said, they stated that there would still be theatrical releases for future films in the series.
Future In March 2016, franchise creator and producer J. J. Abrams announced having plans in place for the future of the Cloverfield franchise, stating it "could be [something] really cool that connects some stories". Trachtenberg stated that developments for both a sequel to 10 Cloverfield Lane, or another standalone Cloverfield movie are being discussed. In February 2018, Abrams acknowledged potential for character crossovers in future films. The producer confirmed plans for an eventual team-up with Michelle and Ava, the two characters respectively played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
In April 2018, it was revealed that A Quiet Place was developed as a potential fourth film in the franchise, but Paramount and its respective screenwriters decided that it would work better as a standalone film. In June 2018, Abrams confirmed that a fourth Cloverfield film would be made and was in development. He further described the film as a "true" and "dedicated" theatrical release sequel to the first film. In January 2021, Joe Barton was hired as screenwriter, while Abrams will serve as co-producer with Hannah Minghella. The project will be a joint-venture production between Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures. Unlike the original film, it will not be filmed in found-footage format.
In September 2022, Babak Anvari signed onto the project as director, who will direct the script written by Barton, while Jon Cohen will act as an additional producer. In January 2023, Matt Reeves stated that the ongoing developments won't be talked about prior to future project releases, with intent for it to "always [be] surprising" similar to the previous installments. Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producers Cloverfield Matt Reeves Drew Goddard Bryan Burk & J. J. Abrams 10 Cloverfield Lane Dan Trachtenberg Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken & Damien Chazelle Josh Campbell & Matt Stuecken J. J. Abrams & Lindsey Weber The Cloverfield Paradox Julius Onah Oren Uziel Doug Jung & Oren Uziel Untitled fourth Cloverfield film Babak Anvari Joe Barton Jon Cohen, J. J. Abrams & Hannah Minghella
Manga
is a manga and cross-media tie-in to the first film. It was published once a month on Kadokawa Shoten's website and consists of four chapters from January to May 2008.
Title Publication date(s) Writer(s) Illustrator(s) Note Cloverfield/Kishin January to May 2008 Matthew Pitts, David Baronoff & Nicole Phillips Yoshiki Togawa Tie-in parallel prequel/sequel manga to Cloverfield
Cast and characters Overview
Characters Films Manga ARG campaigns Cloverfield 10 Cloverfield Lane The Cloverfield Paradox Cloverfield/Kishin Cloverfield 10 Cloverfield Lane The Cloverfield Paradox 2008 2016 2018 2008 2016 2018 CloverLarge-scale aggressor rowspan="2" colspan="4" rowspan="2" Conceived byJ. J. AbramsDesigned byNeville Page Conceived byJ. J. AbramsDesigned byNeville Page Conceived byJ. J. AbramsDesigned byNeville Page Rob Hawkins Michael Stahl-David colspan="4" Michael Stahl-David colspan="2" Elizabeth "Beth" McIntyre Odette Annable colspan="4" Odette Annable colspan="2" Hud Platt T.J. Miller colspan="4" T.J. Miller colspan="2" Lily Ford Jessica Lucas colspan="4" Jessica Lucas colspan="2" Marlena Diamond Lizzy Caplan colspan="4" Lizzy Caplan colspan="2" Jason "Hawk" Hawkins Mike Vogel colspan="4" Mike Vogel colspan="2" Jamie Lascano Jamie Harlan colspan="4" Jamie Harlan colspan="2" Howard StamblerRadioman70 John Goodman colspan="4" John Goodman Michelle Mary Elizabeth Winstead colspan="6" Emmett DeWitt John Gallagher Jr. colspan="6" LeslieNewscaster Suzanne Cryer colspan="5" Ben Bradley Cooper colspan="6" Kiel colspan="2" David Oyelowo colspan="4" David Oyelowo Mark Stambler colspan="2" Donal Logue colspan="4" Donal Logue Ava Hamilton colspan="2" Gugu Mbatha-Raw colspan="5" Ernst Schmidt colspan="2" Daniel Brühl colspan="5" Monk Acosta colspan="2" John Ortiz colspan="5" Mundy colspan="2" Chris O'Dowd colspan="5" Volkov colspan="2" Aksel Hennie colspan="5" Tam colspan="2" Zhang Ziyi colspan="5" Mina Jensen colspan="2" Elizabeth Debicki colspan="5" Michael colspan="2" Roger Davies colspan="5" Molly colspan="2" Clover Nee colspan="5"
Cloverfield
Clover is the production name given to the giant monster that attacks New York the same night the main characters throw a going-away party for their friend Rob. Clover is the main antagonist of the film. Various members of the filmmaking crew referred to the monster as "Clover" throughout the special features of the Cloverfield DVD. Additionally, actor Michael Stahl-David reported that the monster was referred to as "Clover" prior to the movie's release.
While rescuing Beth, Hud gives various theories on where the monster may have come from — which included being from the ocean, from outer space, or created by the government. The monster kills Jason when it smashes the Brooklyn Bridge with its tail and later kills Hud by biting him in half. The parasites that drop off its body during its rampage also bite Marlena, who later dies gruesomely as a result.
According to the tie-in manga Cloverfield/Kishin, and hinted at slightly by the viral marketing websites, a Japanese oil-drilling company known as Tagruato (of which Slusho!, where Rob was supposed to work, is a subsidiary company) captured the monster for unknown reasons. In the manga, the monster has some kind of biological connection to Kishin Aiba, the main character, due to a result of tampering or experimentation. Kishin Aiba is able to control the monster without it harming him.
Marlena Diamond (played by Lizzy Caplan), 26, is good friends with Lily. During Rob's going-away party, she is seen mostly avoiding Hud during the party while he tries unsuccessfully to flirt with her. She is bitten and killed by one of the monster's parasites.
Despite not being told the premise of the film initially, Lizzy Caplan stated that she accepted a role in Cloverfield solely because she was a fan of the Abrams-produced television series Lost (in which her former Related co-star Kiele Sanchez was a recurring character), and her experience of discovering its true nature eventually caused her to state that she would not sign on for a film in the future "without knowing full well what it is." She indicated that her character was a "sarcastic outsider," and that her role was "physically demanding."
Lily Ford (played by Jessica Lucas), 27, is friends of Beth and Marlena and the girlfriend of Jason. In the film, she suggested to Jason that they should throw a farewell party for his brother, Rob, before his departure to Japan to accept a new job. During the evacuation of Manhattan, Lily is put on a different helicopter from the rest of the group, but her overall fate is left unknown.