CLOVERFIELD Sequel Director Finally Breaks Silence with an Update

It’s been years since we’ve had any kind of update on the Cloverfield sequel, but director Babak Anvari has finally provided one. While speaking at SXSW during the premiere of his new film, Hallow Road, Anvari confirmed that the project is still in development but remained tight-lipped on any major details. This marks the first official word on the film since he was announced as its director back in September 2022.Anvari explained: “So sad that I cannot [talk about the Cloverfield sequel] because everyone on that team is very secretive, which I understand. Whatever happens, just know that, hopefully, you’re going to get something amazing.”While his statement doesn’t offer much information, it does confirm that the project hasn’t been scrapped. Given that nearly two and a half years have passed since Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot last acknowledged the film, this is at least confirmation that something is still brewing.Anvari’s refusal to spill details on the project is completely on-brand for Cloverfield. The franchise has always had this blanket of secrecy and unconventional marketing, dating all the way back to the original 2008 film’s surprise teaser, which dropped without a title. 10 Cloverfield Lane wasn’t even revealed as part of the universe until months before its release, and The Cloverfield Paradox was dropped on Netflix only a few hours after a Super Bowl ad in 2018. It seems the fourth installment is following suit, whatever it may end up being.The Cloverfield franchise has had a unique and sometimes bumpy evolution. The 2008 original, directed by Matt Reeves, was a found-footage monster spectacle that put audiences right in the middle of a kaiju attack on New York City. Eight years later, 10 Cloverfield Lane took a radically different approach, delivering a tense psychological thriller with only loose connections to the first film.That experimental approach had a misfire with The Cloverfield Paradox, a sci-fi film originally developed as a standalone project (God Particle) before being forcibly retrofitted into the franchise. Extensive reshoots ballooned its budget from $5 million to $40 million, and after a rushed release on Netflix, it was widely panned for its messy storytelling and last-minute connections to Cloverfield.Adding another complication, J.J. Abrams, who was the driving force behind Bad Robot and the Cloverfield brand, departed from Paramount in 2019 to pursue a deal with Warner Bros. This left the franchise in limbo, further delaying any progress on a new installment.Joe Barton was initially brought on to write the screenplay for the new sequel in early 2021, with reports suggesting the new film would serve as a direct sequel to the original. However, with so much time passed and little information surfacing, it’s unclear how much of Barton’s script is still in play.I guess we’ll eventually find out!

Mar 20, 2025 - 17:32

CLOVERFIELD Sequel Director Finally Breaks Silence with an Update

It’s been years since we’ve had any kind of update on the Cloverfield sequel, but director Babak Anvari has finally provided one.

While speaking at SXSW during the premiere of his new film, Hallow Road, Anvari confirmed that the project is still in development but remained tight-lipped on any major details.

This marks the first official word on the film since he was announced as its director back in September 2022.

Anvari explained: “So sad that I cannot [talk about the Cloverfield sequel] because everyone on that team is very secretive, which I understand. Whatever happens, just know that, hopefully, you’re going to get something amazing.”

While his statement doesn’t offer much information, it does confirm that the project hasn’t been scrapped. Given that nearly two and a half years have passed since Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot last acknowledged the film, this is at least confirmation that something is still brewing.

Anvari’s refusal to spill details on the project is completely on-brand for Cloverfield. The franchise has always had this blanket of secrecy and unconventional marketing, dating all the way back to the original 2008 film’s surprise teaser, which dropped without a title.

10 Cloverfield Lane wasn’t even revealed as part of the universe until months before its release, and The Cloverfield Paradox was dropped on Netflix only a few hours after a Super Bowl ad in 2018. It seems the fourth installment is following suit, whatever it may end up being.

The Cloverfield franchise has had a unique and sometimes bumpy evolution. The 2008 original, directed by Matt Reeves, was a found-footage monster spectacle that put audiences right in the middle of a kaiju attack on New York City.

Eight years later, 10 Cloverfield Lane took a radically different approach, delivering a tense psychological thriller with only loose connections to the first film.

That experimental approach had a misfire with The Cloverfield Paradox, a sci-fi film originally developed as a standalone project (God Particle) before being forcibly retrofitted into the franchise. Extensive reshoots ballooned its budget from $5 million to $40 million, and after a rushed release on Netflix, it was widely panned for its messy storytelling and last-minute connections to Cloverfield.

Adding another complication, J.J. Abrams, who was the driving force behind Bad Robot and the Cloverfield brand, departed from Paramount in 2019 to pursue a deal with Warner Bros. This left the franchise in limbo, further delaying any progress on a new installment.

Joe Barton was initially brought on to write the screenplay for the new sequel in early 2021, with reports suggesting the new film would serve as a direct sequel to the original. However, with so much time passed and little information surfacing, it’s unclear how much of Barton’s script is still in play.

I guess we’ll eventually find out!