Fourth ‘Cloverfield’ film underway

Image: Paramount Pictures via AFP Relaxnews

Even though the third chapter in the “Cloverfield” saga is not yet dated, a fourth appears to have been scheduled for release in October.

With sci-fi space station thriller “God Particle” expected to become the third “Cloverfield” movie upon its eventual release, a “Cloverfield 4” will be set during the Second World War and is currently known as “Overlord”, according to both ScreenRant and SlashFilm.

The first “Cloverfield” film was set in New York, following a group of friends trying to survive an alien monster’s rampage.

An enormous success, it made $170 million worldwide on a $25 million budget and was followed in 2016 by a sequel.

And though “10 Cloverfield Lane” swapped a swarming metropolis for a fallout shelter several states over, it was linked to its predecessor through several recurrent themes, a viral marketing campaign, and the elevation of a relatively unknown and promising director.

Those connections could continue with “God Particle” which is expected to receive a new title before its eventual release, while another completed project, currently known as “Overlord”, is now lining up as a fourth in the franchise.

With filming completed and the project in post-production, “Overlord” has a number of connections to existing Cloverfield franchise entries.

With the requisite high-concept sci-fi plot in place — two American soldiers parachute into Nazi-occupied territory and are plunged into the midst of a supernatural experiment — J.J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber are both on board as producers, and there are a number of exciting up-and-comers among cast and crew.

Director Julius Avery scooped an armful of awards, including Cannes and Sundance accolades, for high-stakes short “Jerrycan”, and steered Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites and Alicia Vikander in his first feature, prison break drama “Son of a Gun”.

Similarly, in front of camera for “Overlord” are Wyatt Russell and Jovan Adepo who, while they might not be household names, have accrued some major indie and big studio credibility: Russell can point to “22 Jump Street” and “Everybody Wants Some!!,” while Adepo can be seen in both “Fences” and “The Leftovers”.

If “Overlord” is the fourth “Cloverfield” movie then, in an intriguing development, the franchise could be seeing two releases during the same calendar year.

That’s because “God Particle” was most recently dated for April 2018, with Paramount thought to have entered discussions with Netflix in order to switch the film from theatrical to digital distribution; “Overlord” has already been dated for Oct. 26, 2018. JB

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