Cloverfield

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.

Manga

Cloverfield/Kishin (クローバーフィールド/KISHIN, Kurōbāfīrudo/KISHIN) 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.

Cast and characters

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.

Cloverfield/Kishin

Kishin Aiba is a troubled boy who had been repeatedly tormented by a couple of bullies in a public restroom within their school. Although he is saved from humiliation by a girl named Aiko Sasahara, they continue their activities with him and decide to leave him within the confines of an emergency safety house. He has a long history of being bullied due to his mother being "strange", and along with her, he is badly ridiculed. When his mother died, he was so stricken with grief that even into his teens, he wished he had died with her. His emotional torment continues, while at the same time the monster begins to surface within Tagruato's oceans. He later escapes the school grounds with Aiko's help after seeing news coverage about the monster. Here, the two bond together while on their way to Kishin's apartment to seek shelter, only to stumble across an unknown cult bent on using him for a dark purpose tied to the monster.

As shown in some panels, Kishin and his father are not on good terms. Medical records seen in his father's room, along with the cult tracking him down, heavily imply that Kishin is part of a series of experiments with an item revered by the cult, which ties him to the monster, itself. In the third chapter, it is seen that his system has been mixed with the monster's in a tiny organ called the Splinter of Amnion, which allows him to control it without falling victim to its wrath. Kishin's father confirms this as an act of sabotage by his mother, who uses Kishin as a vessel under the cult's orders, but dies by Tagruato's hands.

Kishin succumbs to madness due to the betrayal of his mother, and now uses the monster to cause more destruction. He is able to control the monster without it harming him, it thinking him its kin or brethren. In the final chapter, with the help of Aiko, Kishin regains his sanity and learns to value his life and the lives of others. He faces the monster, whereupon it moves the Splinter of Amnion from his system to its own. But as it cannot feed on the emotions Kishin has laced it with, it leaves Kishin in the seas of Japan, where he is rescued by Aiko and the bullies. The manga ends as they embrace, Kishin having finally found the one thing he cares for in his life.

Yoko Aiba is Kishin's mother. In the manga she is ostracized by both children and adults because of her eccentric nature. It is later revealed that she is part of the cult that worships the monster. She is deeply attached to her son, and comforts him during troubled times. She cares little for her own wellbeing so long as her son believes in her. She dies having been targeted by Tagruato, leaving her son alone and in emotional pain for most of his life. During her time with Kishin's father, she obtains a biological device and places it inside Kishin, giving him the ability to control the monster.

10 Cloverfield Lane

Michelle (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a young woman who leaves New Orleans and drives through rural Louisiana after an argument with her fiancé, Ben, that ends with her ending their relationship. Late at night, she turns on the radio and hears of continuous blackouts in major cities. Distracted by a call from Ben, Michelle gets into an accident and is rendered unconscious. She wakes up in a concrete room chained to a wall, and is approached by a man named Howard, who explains that an unknown attack has taken place and that he brought her to his bunker after finding her on the side of the road. Michelle struggles with accepting the idea that some type of war has left the Earth uninhabitable, and fights to know the truth about what is really going on.

Howard Stambler (played by John Goodman) is a former US Navy sailor turned survivalist who brings Michelle to an underground bunker following her car accident. He explains that he has saved her from an unknown attack that has taken place and that left the surface uninhabitable. Michelle doubts his motives and his story about what is occurring on the surface. Stambler is later shown to be mentally unstable, and kills Emmett. During Michelle's escape attempt she kicks over a barrel of perchloric acid, which causes an electrical fire that kills Stambler. A viral marketing site used to promote the film states that Howard was Tagruato Corporation's Employee of the Month in February 2016.

Emmett DeWitt (played by John Gallagher Jr.) is another survivor who witnessed the attack and fled to Howard's bunker. He helped build the bunker for Howard and confirms to Michelle that something dangerous and deadly is taking place at the surface. Howard later shoots Emmett in the face for wanting to construct a weapon, though Emmett was really covering for Michelle. Michelle later finds his corpse dissolving in perchloric acid.

Ben (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is Michelle's ex-fiancé. Michelle abruptly breaks up with Ben at the start of the film after an argument and leaves town, leading to her car accident and her connection with Howard.

Leslie (played by Suzanne Cryer) is Howard's neighbour who begs to be let into the bunker when Michelle is trying to escape. Noticing that Leslie is suffering from severe skin lesions, Michelle realizes the air may not be safe, and refuses to open the door. Leslie dies.

The Cloverfield Paradox

Ava Hamilton (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is a British communications officer aboard Cloverfield Station and Michael's wife. Losing her children to a fire that she inadvertently caused, she deals with grief from the loss with her husband, but ultimately goes aboard the Cloverfield Station.

Jason Kiel (played by David Oyelowo) is an American commander of the station.

Ernst Schmidt (played by Daniel Brühl) is a German physicist of the station.

Monk Acosta (played by John Ortiz) is a Brazilian doctor of the station.

Gordon Mundy (played by Chris O'Dowd) is an Irish engineer of the station.

Sasha Volkov (played by Aksel Hennie) is a Russian engineer of the station.

Ling Tam (played by Zhang Ziyi) is a Chinese engineer of the station.

Mina Jensen (played by Elizabeth Debicki) is an Australian engineer from an alternate timeline.

Michael Hamilton (played by Roger Davies) is the husband of Ava. He has a sub-plot, in which he finds and tries to help a young girl.

Reception

Related films

While some observers noted a similarity between the alien featured in Super 8 (2011) and the monster in Cloverfield, J. J. Abrams stated during an interview with MTV that the only connection between them is that they were both designed by Neville Page.

Writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods revealed that they considered pitching A Quiet Place (2018) as a movie taking place within the Cloverfield universe. In an interview with Ben Pearson for /Film, Beck revealed it was Paramount Pictures that nixed the idea:

It was weird timing, though, because when we were writing the script, 10 Cloverfield Lane was at Paramount. We were actually talking to an executive there about this film, and it felt from pitch form that there might be crossover, but when we finally took the final script in to Paramount, they saw it as a totally different movie. What was really incredible about the process that we feel very grateful for is the studio embraced this weird movie with no dialogue with open arms. They never thought about branding it as a Cloverfield film, I think in part because conceptually it was able to stand on its own.

Although the 2018 film Overlord was initially reported to be the fourth film in the series during its production, Abrams eventually announced the film to be a standalone release.

In October 2019, T.J. Miller stated on Instagram that the then-upcoming film Underwater (2020), also featuring 10 Cloverfield Lane star John Gallagher Jr., had connections to the Cloververse, though both actors would be portraying different characters than they previously portrayed in the franchise. However, the released version of the film contained no overt references to the Cloverfield franchise.