First trailer for JJ Abrams' 'Overlord' confirms it's NOT a 'Cloverfield' film after all

Paramount has released the first trailer for Overlord, the JJ Abrams-produced sci-fi horror that many assumed would be the fourth film in the Cloverfield anthology.

However, judging by the first look, the film is no longer connected to the Cloverfield universe or at least it’s not being marketed as such.

Watch the first Overlord trailer above.

Set during WW2, the film tells the story of a troop of American GIs who end up behind enemy lines on D Day after their plane is shot down. However, they face a power far more menacing than the Nazis when they stumble across an abandoned town which seems to be the location of some unorthodox scientific experiments into the supernatural.

Movie blog Slash Film first suggested Overlord was a stealth Cloverfield film back in January 2018, pointing at JJ Abrams and Paramount’s involvement, and the subject matter, as smoking guns linking the films. Abrams eventually disputed the theory in April this year, telling Variety: “We’re actually developing a true, dedicated Cloverfield sequel [instead]”.

Monster invasion thriller Cloverfield film was released under a cloak of secrecy in 2008. It was followed by 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016, a bunker-set thriller that began life as a standalone film, but was retroactively linked to the same world during production.

The third film, The Cloverfield Paradox, came straight to Netflix in February 2018, but had originally been filmed as another standalone film God Particle that was also retrospectively changed to link it to the world. With all this behind-the-scenes shenanigans, it’s no surprise many people assumed Overlord would be another Cloverfield entry.

However, following the critical drubbing received by the third film, it’s probably a wise move to put a bit of distance between the two entities.

Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street, Everybody Wants Some!!) and Jovan Adepo (Fences, The Leftovers) head the cast, joined by Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones), and Iain De Caestecker (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Overlord, directed by Julius Avery, is coming to cinemas in November.

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