It took eight years to get a second film in the Cloverfield franchise, but the third may be coming much, much sooner. An insider tells TheWrap that God Particle, an upcoming film produced by J.J. Abrams, is the next installment in the anthology, with more likely to follow.
Paramount Pictures and Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, have not confirmed the news, but TheWrap’s source says that the franchise is definitely growing. On top of God Particle, which is due out in 2017, Abrams and Paramount are reportedly working on still more Cloverfield films. Apparently, the goal is to release a new one each year.
The film franchise kicked off with Cloverfield in 2008. Starring Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, and Jessica Lucas, among others, the horror flick follows six New Yorkers whose goodbye party is disrupted by alien life forms. The next film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, picked up with another story — that of a young woman in Louisiana who wakes up after a car accident in a bunker in the aftermath of a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. The film stars John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr.
God Particle will move to yet another setting and continue the franchise in space. The film is another survival story, but this time, a team of astronauts will be at the center. The script was written by Oren Uziel, and the film is to be directed by Julis Onah. David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Bruhl, and Chris O’Dowd star.
It’s unclear where the franchise could go after God Particle, but there is literally a world of possibility. The films so far have shared a universe but clearly told separate stories. Many themes have remained constant, though, bringing back the compelling elements that fans have enjoyed.
God Particle is slated to open on February 24.