Cloverfield is coming to DVD very soon and will no doubt sell like hotcakes, giving Paramount more profit to the $140 million they currently have. When a film is made for a mere $25 million and goes on to make that kind of money, a sequel will most likely be on the cards. However, would any of the original cast return? ShockTillYouDrop spoke with Michael Stahl-David (the lead monster fleer) about whether he has heard anything about the inevitable Cloverfield 2. (I am sure everyone who saw it knows what happen to his character at the end of the movie)

“I think they’re still trying to figure out how they’re going to pull it off,” the actor laughs. “They have some ideas they’re excited about but they’re really not sharing them with many people…and they’re not sharing them with me.”

He adds he would be surprised if Reeves and company asked him to return, “unless it was being glimpsed for a second by somebody else’s camera. And I think people have seen enough of me running around anyway.”

Personally, I think they should carry on with a sequel but with a totally different cast. Then we can see the night from peoples eyes, or a whole different night entirely.

After months of anticipation, Cloverfield was finally released a couple of weeks back, and we only saw the monster briefly. It looked big and scary but we never got a really good look. It was either being hammered with missiles or directly above us. Well Hasbro have kindly made a toy of the thing for us all to cuddly up in bed with. It costs $99 and comes with 10 parasites, two interchangeable heads and a Statue of Liberty head. Its also white…which I don’t think it was in the film.

Check more angles of it here.

Its official. After nearly 4 months of strike action, the WGA have struck a deal. The WGA West board of directors and the WGA East Council will meet Sunday to formally endorse the contract. And writers could be back at work as early as Monday, depending on whether the WGA’s ruling bodies decide whether to end the three-month strike at those Sunday meetings. You can read all of the details, including a letter from WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric M. Verrone to the WGA members announcing the tentative deal, over at Variety and ComingSoon. Here is a excerpt:

To Our Fellow Members,
We have a tentative deal.

It is an agreement that protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery. It creates formulas for revenue-based residuals in new media, provides access to deals and financial data to help us evaluate and enforce those formulas, and establishes the principle that, “When they get paid, we get paid.”

Specific terms of the agreement are described in the summary on our website and will be further discussed at our Saturday membership meetings on both coasts. At those meetings we will also discuss how we will proceed regarding ratification of this agreement and lifting the restraining order that ends the strike.

So what movies can now be made now the strike is over?

Transformers 2, The Hobbit, Thor, Tintin, Magneto, Conan, Jurassic Park 4, Justice League and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time to name a few. There is also a possibility that Fantastic Four 3, Cloverfield 2 and Pirates 4 could begin work. Spiderman 4’s script has been put on hold so screenwriter James Vanderbilt can continue and it is likely that Terminator Salvation will go through a re-write. There are probably quite a few other movies that can now begin to roll forward thanks to the strike ending.

Lets hope the writers are back to work on Monday!

Today is the day that Cloverfield is finally released (in some parts of the world anyway) and everyone will finally see the monster in all of its glory. Some early reviews suggests that the wait has been worthwhile, with some reviews calling it a ‘Classic’ and ‘Utterly Brilliant’. So if you are in the US, New Zealand, Canada and Australia, enjoy the film, for some people on this planet have to wait until February. The films premiere brought out the people behind the hand held camera. Bloody Disgusting was there and quizzed script writer Drew Goodard about writing the film.

“The original draft was much more brutal. I wanted a hard R and we didn’t get a hard R, they read it and said this is way to brutal. I will say that I think we pushed the limits on a PG-13 rating we certainly shot a harder version than what is on the screen, we originally wanted it to be more bloody and disgusting.” He didn’t answer when asked if we will get to see that harder version when its released onto DVD. On the monster Goddard said, “It’s even better than I imagined as I was writing it!”

I suppose having Cloverfield rated higher would mean quite a lot of people would be excluded from seeing it. If you are going to release a film surrounded in secrecy you want as many people to see it as possible, including teenagers. It also brings in money, lets not forget about that.

Director Matt Reeves spoke about a possible sequel. If Cloverfield makes tons on money then a sequel will obviously become a priority over at Paramount.

“Only time will tell. While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night, there might be another movie! In today’s day and age of people filming their lives on their iphones and handy cams, uploading it to youtube…That was kind of exciting thinking about that.”

So prepare yourself for the same monster but from different points of view. Sounds interesting. I can’t really comment about my thoughts on a sequel as I haven’t seen the original. I suggest that everyone go and see it and then return with your thoughts.

We will all probably see Cloverfield at some point this month so we can see that damn monster. How they have kept it a secret all this time is beyond me, usually everything is leaked. I am sure after a few lucky people have seen it earlier than everyone else, we will get descriptions of the monster. Until anything is revealed, we have this final poster, thanks to Cinema Blend. To be honest we have seen the headless Statue of Liberty for the past few months and I am getting sick of it! I want to see the monster dammit!

Below is the poster, and here is a link for you to view 20+ new images. Enjoy!

I’ve just been on a Cloverfield kick the past few days, haven’t I?

For those of you who are really into production stuff, Coming Soon got a hold of the Production notes for the film. The document is 38 pages long, and it DOES contain spoilers.

However, it is a fairly interesting read, and worth checking out. There are also things in there that pseudo confirm a story we ran about a week ago…
Read them by clicking here.

The Cloverfield machine just doesn’t stop rolling.

A few days ago, the viral website for the film, Tagruoto.jp, released a press release regarding an event that happened at one of their oil stations out at sea:

There has been an altercation at the Chaui Station. Although details are limited at present time, be assured that Tagruato is taking every measure necessary to ensure the safety and well being of all staff and crew. Specialty teams have been deployed, and are working aggressively to restore harmony at the site.

The cause of the problem is currently being investigated, although it is suspected that an eco-terror cell is responsible for the disturbance.

We have top investigators on our side. Everything will be resolved shortly, and all problems will be fixed. If you have any questions, please contact us at +81-3-5403-6318 for further instructions.

Not only that, but various ‘news reports’ from all over the globe have sprung up on the Internet. In true Cloverfield style, home video footage was taken, showing the Chaui Station collapsing into the ocean, and a large, dark shape below it. The ‘shape’ is believed to be an oil spill, we us folks at home know the truth.

The report has shown up in various languages, but you can check out the English version by clicking here.

Not only did that little incident happen, but this viral campaign is taking itself a step further. Not only can you view all these different events online, but this next one, you can actually attend.

That’s right, folks. If you live in the New York City area, you can actually GO to the surprise going away party for Rob, the lead character in the film.

“Cloverfield and Myspace are throwing a surprise party for Rob in New York City!

Join us next Thursday night, January 17th for a send off for our buddy Rob, he’s moving to Japan! There will be drinks, dancing, and tons of cool people. It will be a party to remember!

We’re randomly picking 200 people to join us for a big Cloverfield celebration in the Lower East Side. Befriend Cloverfield on MySpace and RSVP to the party to be entered into the drawing. It’s going to be a blast!”

That, my friends, is some damn cool marketing. Can we expect the monster himself to show up? At the very least, the lucky folks chosen will be getting a private screening.

Check out Cloverfield on MySpace to RSVP!

- Jeff Heimbuch

An image has been floating around the ‘net for a week or so now, and I think it warrants some attention.

Apparently, someone leaked some ‘concept’ art from the preproduction stage of development for Cloverfield. Though it hasn’t been confirmed (or denied), it’s mighty interesting.

Check it out for yourself (click to enlarge):

So what do you think? Yay or no? There was some rumblings about it being a mutated sea creature, and this would fit along with that motif. However, a humpback whale isn’t very terror inspiring, at least to me. Then again, what the hell do I know? In the poster, though, it looks as if there are claw marks along the Statue of Liberty…not seeing any claws on this bad boy.

Only time will tell. We’ll find out for sure on January 18th, 2008.

- Jeff Heimbuch

Shock Til You Drop recently sat down with Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, and asked him a few questions about the film. In regards to fans concerns that the choice of ‘hand-held’ camera style would hide the monster, Reeves had this to say:

We wanted this to be as if someone found a Handicam, took out the tape and put it in the player to watch it. What you’re watching is a home movie that then turns into something else. But the other thing I noticed was that the “Blair Witch” guys obviously didn’t have the resources to make a big movie and this was a great way to tell their story. They used that to their advantage to create great suspense. We’re creating great suspense while you see the great features of this monster. The other thing I think is very exciting is this monster is huge and you see everything. You see it in a way that is if you’re shooting it with a Handicam. If you’re hiding under a car, you see it that way, and there are other moments - I can guarantee you - you are seeing this monster in a huge way.

Awesome. Glad to see that they aren’t skimping on the monster itself.

For the rest of the (very informative) interview, head over to Shock Til You Drop.