Looks like Paramount’s tentative plans to annualize its Cloverfield franchise have been shelved…for now.
Deadline is reporting that God Particle (AKA Cloverfield 3) has been bumped back to 2018 – February 3rd, to be specific, where it’ll open in the midst of Super Bowl Weekend. Other films affected by Paramount’s reshuffling effort include George Clooney’s star-studded Suburbicon and mother!, the Jennifer Lawrence vehicle that’s coming by way of the esteemed Darren Aronofsky. They’ll now open on October 27th and September 15th, respectively.
For Cloverfield 3, though, it’s clear Paramount and Bad Robot didn’t fancy their chances against Jigsaw, as going up against Michael and Peter Spierig’s Saw sequel would only fragment the horror/thriller audience. And so, Paramount has surrendered its prime time Halloween launch date in favor of an early 2018 window, which may actually work in the film’s favor, similar to how James Mangold’s Logan launched to little competition in March of 2017.
Regardless, we know that Julius Onah is at the helm of Cloverfield 3, which features an all-star cast comprised of David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Brühl, Chris O’Dowd, Ziyi Zhang, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star Elizabeth Debicki. Story-wise, the third entry into Paramount and Bad Robot’s loosely connected universe is said to revolve around a space station known as Dandelion, which becomes one of the last vestiges of human life in the universe after a science experiment goes horribly, horribly wrong. Further details are being kept under lock and key for the time being, and that situation is unlikely to change anytime soon now that Onah’s space-set thriller has been hit with a four-month delay.
In light of today’s reshuffling, the third, as-yet-untitled Cloverfield movie will stomp into theaters on February 3rd, 2018. Other films pegged for a similar release window include Marvel’s Black Panther and Pacific Rim: Uprising, both of which are in attendance at the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con.