Paramount plans to release 4th Cloverfield movie theatrically

Netflix‘s The Cloverfield Paradox made a surprise debut on the streaming service after the Super Bowl, and despite punishing reviews (20% on Rotten Tomatoes) the movie managed to make a splash in the media. Since then, many have wondered if Paramount will dump the upcoming 4th Cloverfield movie (a World War II-set film tentatively titled Overlord) to Netflix as well, but according to TheWrap, the studio plans to stick to its theatrical release on October 26, 2018.

The Cloverfield franchise was originally envisioned to be a series of lower-budget genre movies connected in a loose anthology style, but The Cloverfield Paradox budget wound up ballooning to over $40 million after costly reshoots and attempts to connect it more overtly to the original 2008 Cloverfield. Sensing a potential embarrassment after poor test screenings, Heat Vision reports that producer J.J. Abrams, Paramount chairman-CEO Jim Gianopulos, Netflix chief Ted Sarandos and head of original films Scott Stuber negotiated a deal worth over $50 million that instantly put the film into profit and saved Paramount throwing good money after bad on marketing. While Paramount may have abandoned the planned April 20 theatrical bow for Paradox, they still retain rights for China and home entertainment, which will smartly allow them to include the 3rd movie in inevitable Cloverfield Blu-ray box sets and Digital bundles.

RELATED: 6 Ways The Cloverfield Paradox Connects the Cloverfield Movies

Overlord, which is said to involve Allied soldiers shot down behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day who encounter supernatural forces (potentially zombies), has apparently garnered a more positive reception at test screenings than its predecessor. However, Heat Vision notes that the ultimate fate of the film’s release is not yet determined at the studio, so anything goes. The 4th Cloverfield movie features stars Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbæk and Bokeem Woodbine, and is directed by Julius Avery (Son of a Gun) from a script by Billy Ray (The Hunger Games) and Mark L. Smith (The Revenant).

The Cloverfield Paradox stars David Oyelowo (Selma, Interstellar), John Ortiz (Fast & Furious films, Kong: Skull Island), Elizabeth Debicki (The Night Manager, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Concussion, Beyond the Lights), Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd, Moone Boy, Thor: The Dark World), Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Daniel Bruhl (Captain America: Civil War, Rush).

Directed by Julius Onah (The Girl is in Trouble), the film was originally scripted by Freaks of Nature and 22 Jump Street scribe Oren Uziel. The project was rewritten by Star Trek Beyond‘s Doug Jung.

After The Cloverfield Paradox, are you still looking forward to the 4th Cloverfield movie? Let us know in the comments below!