Matt Reeves breaks down the difficulties in cracking a ‘Cloverfield’ sequel

With Cloverfield having recently turned 15 years old, it would do us good to remember the groundbreaking nuances that led up to arguably the most unique giant monster film in recent American history. Thanks to 2007’s relatively lackluster grasp on the internet, that ominous, title-less trailer we all saw way back then managed to capture the world’s attention like never before, and on top of that, director Matt Reeves nailed the payoff.

Indeed, Cloverfield was no tiny task, especially in the guts department; a brand new IP boasting the found-footage answer to kaiju films? Whatever wizardry Reeves managed to work to get that greenlit will likely remain one of the greatest mysteries of our generation.

And now, with a direct sequel to the original film finally in the works, we’re left wondering; what took so long? Reeves may not be involved with this one, but was nevertheless happy to shed a bit of light on such complications in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, mainly regarding how he and the other two spearheads of the original film, producer J.J. Abrams and scribe Drew Goddard, simply got caught up and away from it.

“Well, to be honest with you, when we finished, we [Reeves, Abrams, Goddard] all had ideas for what the sequel could be, and it was just one of those things where our schedules got pulled off into different directions. So we never ended up doing it in that way, and when 10 Cloverfield Lane came to be, it was like, “Oh, this is a really exciting way to continue to explore the tone of this world.”

He would also go on to point out how the ethos of Cloverfield, as far as he, Abrams, and Goddard are concerned, is how it sneaks up on you in a creative sense, making direct efforts feel a bit unnatural.

“The thing about Cloverfield from the beginning was it was always so surprising the way it came together, and I hope that it continues to be surprising. Weirdly, that’s actually one of the hallmarks of it as well. It’s the surprise of something coming out of left field, which is harder and harder now.”

Nevertheless, Abrams will be returning as a producer for the tentatively titled Cloverfield 2, with Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself) stepping into Goddard’s shoes as the screenwriter, and Babak Anvari (I Came By) succeeding Reeves in the director’s chair.