JJ Abrams is building a "Cloverfield Universe", with the third film set to release early next year. The Wrap is reporting that the Abrams-produced God Particle will be the third movie set in the world first seen in Cloverfield, Abrams' 2008 movie showing a monstrous kaiju wrecking New York City.

Directed by Julian Onah, God Particle features a team of astronauts who make a terrifying discovery while on a space station that orbits Earth. God Particle stars David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Brühl and Chris O’Dowd.

It's unclear whether God Particle is a direct sequel or prequel to Cloverfield or if it's simply a "spiritual successor" in the vein of 10 Cloverfield Lane. While 10 Cloverfield Lane didn't directly reference the plot of the original Cloverfield film, there were several easter eggs that hinted the two movies existed in the same universe...or at least a shared multiverse.

(Photo: Paramount)

After 10 Cloverfield Lane came out earlier this year, Abrams hinted that he had plans to somehow tie the two Cloverfield movies together in a third film. "I would be lying if I didn’t say there was something else that, if we’re lucky enough to do it, could be really cool that connects some stories," Abrams told reporters last year.

According to the report, Abrams and Paramount Studios plan to release a new movie set in the "Cloverfield Universe" each year. That makes sense, as the previous Cloverfield movies were major successes for Paramount, earning a total of $279 million in ticket sales on a combined budget of only $40 million. Both films also earned largely positive reviews from critics and moviegoers.

Paramount is set to release the first footage of God Particle on Thursday, so we could learn additional details about Paramount's plans for the wider Cloverfield Universe next week. God Particle will hit theaters on February 24, 2017.

(via The Wrap)