Tuesday, May 4, 2010

J.J. Abrams "Super 8" - The Confirmed "Cloverfield" Prequel!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Collider.com / Bloody Disgusting / Avery Guerra

Update! Wait...not so fast! - Okay.....I'll Ask Again, "What Is Super 8? Cloverfield, Godzilla Or Something Else?

Wow, this story really mutated fast. Earlier today, J.J. Abrams "Cloverfield" prequel, "Super 8", went from the movie that nobody knew about, to the most talked about film in the entertainment industry.

And all of that happened in about two hours time.

Okay, J.J. Abrams is officially the sneakiest guy in Hollywood. Before today, nobody, and I mean nobody, had the slightest idea that Abrams "Cloverfield" prequel was even in production.

Honestly, the first that anyone had heard about "Super 8" was that it was supposed to be a mystery trailer, produced by Abrams, that was set to debut in front of "Iron Man 2" later this week.

Remember back in 2007 when the 'covert' film maker sprung the trailer for "Cloverfield" on the unsuspecting public who turned out to see "Transformers"?

Well, that's what Abrams was about to do again, this time, however, news traveled fast and before the speculation on whether the film was a "Cloverfield" sequel, the upcoming "Godzilla 2012" movie, or something else completely, could even get cold, news broke confirming it's connection to the 2008 monster movie.

Boy, that sure was quick.

The article that I had posted around lunch time was obsolete by 2pm.

What we know so far about "Super 8" is that it involves a bunch of kids who are playing around with a home movie camera and discover that they have accidentally filmed a monster. Reportedly this takes place a couple of decades before the events in "Cloverfield", in either the 70s or 80s.

How exactly all of this ties in with the monster in "Cloverfield" is not known at this time.

Fans that have been following news on the "Cloverfield" follow-up for the past two years know that Abrams and director Matt Reeves have been playing the old 'shell game' with their quotes to reporters. One month they are thinking about making the movie, the next, it's in early development, then it's years off.

Check out some of these comments from Reeves over the past couple of months:

"There's always an ebb and flow to the development of something. [JJ Abrams] is doing this or that now and I'm making [LET ME IN] now and I just started editing. He is starting to make a very personal project that's coming out and he just did a pilot. But there are things we've been talking about. Things that are developing. It comes and goes. The way in which I'd be involved hasn't hit a solid form yet. It's up in the air but also percolating. There are all kinds of approaches that have come up, some of which are very different. It's gonna be cool."

"I can tell you nothing, [but] there are these spikes in activity," he said when asked about a second "Cloverfield" movie. "There are things that we keep talking about and things spike up. It very well may happen."

"I don't know at this point... I think if we find something that would be incredibly fun to make and that we would want to watch then that's what would push it over the top. It's a weird puzzle."

Then Abrams, however, kinda spilled the beans with these statements:

"We're actually working on an idea right now. The key obviously at doing any kind of sequel, certainly this film included, is that it better not be a business decision. If you're going to do something, it should be because you're really inspired to do it. It doesn't really have to mean anything, doesn't mean it will work, but it means we did it because we cared, not because we thought we could get the bucks. We have an idea that we thought was pretty cool that we're playing with, which means there will be something that's connected to Cloverfield, but I hope it happens sooner than later because the idea is pretty sweet."

You tricky suckers.......

So, when you plop your firm little butts in the seats this weekend to see "Iron Man 2" there will be, yet another, of Abram's mysterious, "Cloverfield" related trailers for you to start numerous rumors and speculation about.

Let the viral marketing monster be unleashed!




See Also: Brookfield - Did A Giant Monster Attack Milwaukee? / What The Fans Want To See In An American Godzilla

6 comments:

  1. That's what we need, another J.J. Abrams movie that forces us to follow a group of annoying characters around interspersed with unsatisfying shots of whatever the threat is.

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  2. I, for one, am stoked for this. My only reservation is that the synopsis thus far indicates only a connection to CLOVERFIELD, meaning we may not get to see the monster from that film at all. If that's the case, let's hope SUPER 8 is part 2 of a trilogy which will culminate in a full-on giant monster spectacle (but won't conclude before Legendary's GODZILLA hits theaters!).

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  3. As an added thought, I'd like to see SUPER 8 and any potential follow-ups (which presumably will also emply a "first person" POV) maintain a steadier camera. Storm chasers record tornadoes and such from a close proximity all the time, often on foot or from moving vehicles, and the footage doesn't look like the camera's being tossed back and forth by chimpanzees on Red Bull. I loved CLOVERFIELD because it captured the feel of a 9/11-style disaster within the cintext of a sci-fi film. But steadying the camera and getting better shots of the antagonist(s) in future entries won't sacrifice realism.

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  4. The Super8 chain of motels has one located in Arlington, TX on....the corner of Abram Street:

    http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/check_avail?variant=&id=11105&propBrandId=SE&force_nostay=false&bmInSession=true&tab=tab1

    Weird, huh ?

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  5. Cheap motels? Texas? Abram St?

    Oh my God! This thing is going to be a Bob Crane style amateur adult film.......with an alien in it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So, is Super 8 still a Cloverfield pre-quel?

    ReplyDelete

"LEGENDARY PICTURES TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE BASED ON TOHO COMPANY’S ICONIC MONSTER, GODZILLA

Burbank, CA – March 29, 2010 – Legendary Pictures announced today that they will develop and produce a new film based on Toho Company’s famed GODZILLA character. Through the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to produce a movie inspired by Toho’s Godzilla, a franchise the Japanese company created and has nurtured for over fifty years.

Toho’s GODZILLA franchise boasts one of the most widely recognized film creatures worldwide, resulting in a series of books, television programs, video games and more than 25 films worldwide. Legendary intends to approach the film and its characters in the most authentic manner possible. The company will, in the near future, announce a filmmaker to helm the film for an intended 2012 release. The film will fall under the company’s co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Toho will distribute the film in Japan."

"Godzilla" is coming back -- this time, with Legendary Pictures taking the lead, co-producing and co-financing with Warner Bros. for release in 2012.

Legendary announced Monday it had obtained rights to the iconic monster character from Japan's Toho Co., which has overseen more than 25 "Godzilla" films. Toho will release the pic in Japan.

Legendary said it's planning to announce a director shortly.

In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will exec produce.

"Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise," said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. "Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has."

Legendary noted the film will fall under its co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Legendary's productions with Warners have included "The Dark Knight," "300" and "The Hangover."

Speculation about a new "Godzilla" has been active since last summer. The Bloody Disgusting web site reported in August that the project was in development.