Cloverfield Aftermath trilogy

The Cloverfield extended media trilogy is a planned set of media directly related to the original film in the Cloverfield franchise, an American science fiction anthology film series. The media trilogy will consist of two independent theatrical sequels to Cloverfield (2008) and a prequel television series. It will be produced by Bad Robots Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The concept of a linked trilogy was conceived during the early drafts of Cloverfield Sequel, when J. J. Abrams envisioned an extended franchise in early 2018 and confirmed that a fourth Cloverfield film would be made in June of the same year. The media trilogy was announced in late 2021.

The first installment, Cloverfield Later, was released on January 21, 2021. It was directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Joe Barton. A second installment is planned to be released in 2-5 years, with Abrams and Minghella returning as producers. Also, Tagruato, a prequel limited TV series is planned to be released in 2023.

The first film received mixed reviews from critics and became a commercial success grossing $234.5 million worldwide on a budget of $35 million.

Other
J. J. Abrams has stated that additional-independent short films are in development. These spin-off shorts will not interfere with the media that make up the main trilogy and are being developed in parallel to these. According to Minghella, in an interview on January 17, 2022, the shorts are scheduled to premiere online in an alternating pattern with the main installments, with an initial plan to release a short film at least every two years.

Early 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.

Renewed development
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.