Overlord Isn’t a Cloverfield Film, Says JJ Abrams

Back in February, the space-bound Cloverfield Paradox seemed to open up J.J. Abrams’ anthology series to all narrative possibilities, with a reality-bending event that would allow stories from any time and place to be part of the franchise. All of which added further fuel to the rumours that Paramount’s upcoming World War II horror Overlord was going to be a historical Cloverfield entry — but according to Abrams that’s not the case.

Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, he told the audience that the R-rated Overlord is its own thing, and isn’t a secret Cloverfield project after all. He also went on to mention that there is a different Cloverfield sequel in the works, which will become the fourth part of the anthology.

The element of surprise is a major part of Cloverfield — from the super-secretive viral-marketed original, to the surprise reveal of 10 Cloverfield Lane eight years later, to Paradox’s sudden Netflix drop — so is Abrams just attempting throwing us off the scent? Or is Overlord really going to be a standalone project? Expect the rumour-mill to rumble on about whether Overlord was ever a Cloverfield entry (Paradox’s critical backlash could have influenced any behind-the-scenes decisions), and what the next monster movie will actually be. Whatever Overlord is, it’s coming to cinemas on 26 October this year.