The mysterious upcoming J.J. Abrams-produced film”God Particle” will be the latest movie connected to the producer’s cult hit “Cloverfield,” an insider familiar with the project told TheWrap.
Not only will “Particle” be the third in a series of connected “Cloverfield” films, but Abrams and studio partner Paramount Pictures are quietly developing more movies for the shared universe, the individual said. Both parties hope to release a new film in the shared “Cloverfield” each year, the insider added.
Paramount declined to comment on the matter. Abrams’ company Bad Robot did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Fans of “Cloverfield” and its cinematic cousin “10 Cloverfield Lane,” which starred John Goodman and was released in March, speculated the “God Particle” was indeed connected to the same universe when the project was announced in February.
“Particle” is about a team of astronauts who make a “shocking discovery” and end up fighting for survival in what is described as an altered reality. Julis Onah (“The Girl Is in Trouble”) directed from a script by Oren Uziel. It stars David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Brühl and Chris O’Dowd.
The film is set to open wide on Feb. 24, 2017 — though footage from the project is expected to be presented to reporters on Thursday in New York. Studio head Brad Grey will personally present highlights from the upcoming slate at the event, and do a similar event on Nov. 2 in Los Angeles on the Paramount lot. The insider was present at an event leading up to those presentations.
A person on the Paramount lot said no announcement would come from the Thursday and Nov. 2 presentations — just footage.
Shared film universes are largely uncharted territory and manifest in different ways — there’s the overt and highly successful strategy over at Marvel, where cross-pollination is rampant. Take the upcoming “Thor: Ragnarok” — the narrative belongs to the norse god played by Chris Hemsworth, but the studio is happy to let Mark Ruffalo drop in as the Incredible Hulk.
Abrams connects his shared universe in much less visible ways — you can click here to read an excellent and meticulous analysis of the connection between “Cloverfield” and “10 Cloverfield Lane.”