Cloverfield Aftermath trilogy

The Cloverfield media trilogy is a set of media directly related to the original film in the Cloverfield franchise, an American science fiction anthology film series created by J. J. Abrams. It is produced by Bad Robots Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The trilogy consists of two independent theatrical sequels to Cloverfield (2008) and a prequel television series, following the continuity established and ignoring 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018). Although Abrams already wanted in 2011 to continue developing derivatives, a direct sequel was canceled and for a while it was said that he "would make a Cloverfield 2... but not as a sequel". The concept was picked up in 2018 and announced in June of the same year, with a tie-in trilogy conceived during early drafts and officially announced in late 2021, when Abrams finished doing the treatments for the story.

The first installment, Cloverfield Later, was released on January 21, 2021. It was directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Joe Barton. The second installment of the trilogy, Tagruato, launched its first season on November 19, 2023, with Abrams serving as writer and director. The latest installment, Cloverfield Near, was released on December 14, 2025. It was directed and written by Ti West from a first script with Abrams.

The first film received mixed reviews from critics and became a commercial success grossing $234.5 million worldwide on a budget of $35 million, while subsequent entries received positive reviews. The second theatrical installment grossed $251.6 million worldwide, becoming another hit and the highest-grossing film in the overall franchise.

Media
The first entry was released on January 21, 2021, in a similar timeframe to the original film. The following entries were released two years apart between November and December on Sundays. Tagruato, with its first season released on December 19, 2023 on Netflix, It is meant to be a prequel. Cloverfield Near was released on December 14, 2025 and uses the found footage genre to represent another point in the Manhattan incidents seen in the first film.

Other
A series of "stand-alone" shorts began development at the same time as the trilogy thanks to the success of Later, being announced by JJ Abrams in December 2021. Hannah Minghella, in an interview on January 17, 2022, stated that the shorts were not would affect the media making up the main trilogy and developing alongside them, though Abrams clarified later in July that the "door was always open" to bring them together in some way. The initial plan was to release the shorts online at least every two years in an alternating pattern with the main installments, but they will be released "indefinitely" following the strong critical and box office performance of Cloverfield Near.

The first untitled short film premiered on May 18, 2024, followed by the second untitled short film on December 7, 2026.

initial development
In March 2016, franchise creator and producer J. J. Abrams announced having plans in place for the future of the Cloverfield franchise, stating it "could be [something] really cool that connects some stories". Trachtenberg stated that developments are being discussed for both a sequel to 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016} and another standalone Cloverfield film, which ended up being Cloverfield Paradox (2018).

In June 2018, Abrams confirmed that a fourth Cloverfield film would be made and was in development. He further described the film as a "true" and "dedicated" theatrical release sequel to the first film. In January 2019, Joe Barton was hired as screenwriter, while Abrams will serve as co-producer with Hannah Minghella. It was stated that the project will be a joint production between Bad Robot Productions and Paramount Pictures and unlike the original movie, it will not be shot in found footage format.

In July 2019, J.A. Bayona joined as the film's director, and helped lay the groundwork for the planned trilogy, with Abrams devising a firm plan for the next two installments.

Trilogy
In november 2020, Abrams stated that he planned more tie-ins with the original film if the sequel, already in post-production, performed decently. He thought; "What would come next? There are a lot of things to explore, and I think that just one movie is not enough for it." By mid-2021, with the success of Later, Abrams stated that plans for "more content" were already underway. Finally on November 13, 2021, Abrams officially announced the media trilogy, described as a "unique extension of the Cloverfield universe": "We pitched the idea of ​​two movies, then realized there was room for something more, came up with a standalone trilogy, and proposed a prequel TV series centered on Tagruato."

In February 2022, Minghella said that work was being focused on the remaining installments of the trilogy: "We are in pre-production periods with the intention of releasing the respective installments in a period of 2, 4 or 5 years with the years necessary intermediates", according to the producer, with the purpose of revitalizing the development of each installment. Later, on February 28, in an interview Abrams said "We are trying to start something innovative. We want to make it feel like it was worth the wait.

Ti West was hired in 2022 to write and direct Cloverfield Near, although Abrams gave him suggestions on where he thought the story should go, leaving "his creative space on the film". A first script between Abrams and West was written in December 2022, differing significantly from Near, but using elements of that script.

Tagruato began development under Abrams in March 2022. On June 20, Abrams gave his interest in doing more than one season of the series, as well as premiering it directly on Netflix. The transfer was announced in July of the same year, with a tentative date of May 2023. On January 20, 2023, Paramount Pictures announced that the premiere of the series would be delayed from May to November 2023 and three days later, the release date of November 19, 2023 was established as well as the reveal of the first teaser poster.