The Cloverfield franchise lives! Bad Robot developing sequel with new Gotham PD showrunner

The monster from Cloverfield cannot be stopped. Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner are giving us a fourth Cloverfield film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Joe Barton (The Ritual) is reportedly on board to write the script, with Abrams set to produce. But according to the media outlet, Matt Reeves, the director of the original 2008 film that kicked off the franchise, will not be back at the helm. 

Cloverfield followed a group of twentysomething New Yorkers during an attack on the city by a large monster. It was shot in the style of a found footage film, a style that the new movie will not be using, according to unnamed sources. Thanks in part to a clever viral marketing campaign that was careful not to reveal too many details (other than NYC was under attack and the Statue of Liberty would get beheaded), Cloverfield became a huge hit. The movie made $172 million globally against a $25 million budget. 

Following the monstrous success of Cloverfield (no, we will not apologize), Bad Robot then made a sequel, though...not really. With the release of 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016, the banner kicked off a franchise of loosely connected films, which continued with The Cloverfield Paradox in 2018. Both films were originally developed as separate movies but later became linked to the original. 

So, what’s it about? No one knows. If there’s one thing Abrams is good at, it’s keeping plot details of his projects under wraps until opening night (he does love his Mystery Box). The upcoming film is being described by the media outlet as a sequel, but it’s unclear whether it’s a direct sequel to the 2008 original or a tangentially related film like 10 Cloverfield Lane or The Cloverfield Paradox. 

Barton was also recently tapped to take over showrunning duties for HBO Max’s upcoming Batman prequel/spinoff series, after original showrunner Terence Winter left the project. Centered around the Gotham City Police Department during Bruce Wayne's first year as the dark knight, the series is inspired by Reeves' upcoming film The Batman.