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OK, So What's Up With That JJ Abrams "Cloverfield" Teaser?
by Scott Weinberg | July 06, 2007
Discuss Article
You know: The one that's been playing in front of "Transformers"...the one featuring a mysterious alien attack that's being hyped by a handful of teaser websites and (most potently) a veil of secrecy by the filmmakers.

I saw the teaser last Tuesday. It's the one where a bunch of teens are partying before New York goes kerplooey in the distance. All I really got out of the teaser was this: 1. The movie opens January 18th. 2. It looks like "The Blair Witch Project" meets the new-fangled "Godzilla." 3. I wanna see it. Of course.

The project's presently being called "Cloverfield," although that's not the real title. IMDb just got around to adding the J.J. Abrams production recently ... because I searched for it last week and it definitely wasn't there.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Cloverfield" project began filming in New York in June and has a budget of $30 million. The report also names the first few castmembers: Michael Stahl-David from "The Black Donnellys", Mike Vogel of "Supercross," Lizzy Caplan (Janis from "Mean Girls"), and Odet Jasmin.

Give it up to Paramount and J.J. Abrams for keeping this project "hush-hush," but here's what we know for sure: It's being directed by "Felicity" producer Matt Reeves and written by "Alias" scribe Drew Goddard. The thing will be done entirely with handheld cameras ... and yes, it's a monster movie.

But the clever marketing doesn't end with a mysterious trailer, oh no. There's also a puzzle-filled website called EthanHaasWasRight.com, and ... man, I'm getting confused already. I just wanna see the movie.

Check out all the "Cloverfield" mysteries at the teaser site, EthanHaasWasRight.com, and the freaky counter-blog Ethan Haas Was Wrong. (If you get stuck on the puzzles, Film Ick and Slash Film have helpful threads from other aspiring detectives.)

And while you're at it, let us know what the secret of the island is on Abrams' other brain-twister.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Film Ick, Slash Film

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Comments (1-20 of 63 posts) | Reply
SplendidIsolation
SplendidIsolation writes:
on Jul 06 2007 11:30 AM

Apparently the budget was not much more than $30 million.

(Reply to this)
nogard46
nogard46 writes:
on Jul 06 2007 11:46 AM

[b]theres already a great monster movie out[/b]
Its called The Host, a great Korean movie, its uses the shaky docu style camera work at times and the movie looks great.


(Reply to this)
MattBaerFTW
MattBaerFTW writes:
on Jul 06 2007 11:48 AM

The trailer definitely has me intrigued lets hope it doesn't turn out like the blair witch or the new Godzilla lol

(Reply to this)
kaisha
kaisha writes:
on Jul 06 2007 12:03 PM

[b]It's Cthulhu![/b]
http://blogs.forbes.com/digitaldownload/2007/07/ethan-haas-hits.html


(Reply to this)
TheIceGhost
TheIceGhost writes:
on Jul 06 2007 12:38 PM

After viewing that trailer pre-TRANSFORMERS I turned to my buddy and we both mouthed, "Duuuude" to each other. If nothing else, it was an amazing trailer.

So it has been confirmed that the movie is shot entirely in that shaky-home video camera style? I read something the other day saying that wasn't confirmed.

Also to note, a lot of these guys have worked on LOST too. Should certainly be interesting.


(Reply to this)
Watsonatr
Watsonatr writes:
on Jul 06 2007 12:51 PM

[b]This keeps gettin wierder and wierder[/b]
I checked wikipedia for the class earlier this morning and in the Ethan Haas description it had this, "..He is a pediatrician with a golden retriever, like his ex-fiancee. He is also known as something of a prophet predicting the coming end times when Cthulu will again walk the earth. He met a woman named Sue who mistook Ethan for a guy named Dan (Sue and Dan were going on a blind date). That middle sentence has nothing to do with that show! Now when I went to check it again, it has been removed! Strange things are afoot


(Reply to this)
dracus
dracus writes:
on Jul 06 2007 01:15 PM

"It looks like "The Blair Witch Project" meets the new-fangled "Godzilla."
Good one Scott :)


(Reply to this)
Third Man From Right
Third Man From Right writes:
on Jul 06 2007 01:21 PM

In reply to this comment (#910521)
[b]Re: This keeps gettin weirder and weirder[/b]
I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that weird sentences unrelated to the rest of the article sometimes appear and disappear from Wikipedia entries!


(Reply to this)
uhhuhnads
uhhuhnads writes:
on Jul 06 2007 01:31 PM

I completed it, that was crazy but fun. Hope you all get it too, if you need help message me.

(Reply to this)
dylan21484nj
dylan21484nj writes:
on Jul 06 2007 03:08 PM

saw the trailer with Transformers the other days, and the whole theater buzzed with comments like "Holy shit! I'm definitely seeing that!" that's how you do a trailer, not by showing all the crucial parts of the movie that give everything away like Evan Almighty's trailers do.

(Reply to this)
IMAmoose24
IMAmoose24 writes:
on Jul 06 2007 04:14 PM

I too saw the trailer and was also confused by it, but in a good way. Can't wait to hear more about the project!

(Reply to this)
SukmyPikachu
SukmyPikachu writes:
on Jul 06 2007 04:37 PM

I bet the budget of the movie will probably get bumped up now.

(Reply to this)
mojodaddy
mojodaddy writes:
on Jul 06 2007 05:02 PM

I beat the puzzles. They're awesomely hard. This is getting really interesting. I was wondering when RT would put up something about it.

(Reply to this)
tanukizilla
tanukizilla writes:
on Jul 06 2007 05:48 PM

It was funny because after the trailer ended the whole theater was like "Huh?" It got my interest.

(Reply to this)
smartmoviekid
smartmoviekid writes:
on Jul 06 2007 10:51 PM

this trailer had me and my uncle (who is a big j.j Abrams fan) buzzing wildly about it even after the movie (which was quite the technological achievement by the way) i wonder what it'll be about or how epic and/or confusing its gonna be lol.

(Reply to this)
buddabooshiaebay
buddabooshiaebay writes:
on Jul 07 2007 12:26 AM

[b]New site revealed[/b]
Check out http://www.ParasiteMovie.com. I think that's it!


(Reply to this)
Mr. Kong
Mr. Kong writes:
on Jul 07 2007 06:43 AM

The trailer looks pretty cool. Hopefully the movie will live up to it.

(Reply to this)
GTP43
GTP43 writes:
on Jul 07 2007 08:06 AM

It's being released in January, has a budget of $30 million, and is directed by a producer of a lame TV show....right.

(Reply to this)
pulgasari
pulgasari writes:
on Jul 07 2007 10:46 AM

[b]These guys know how to advertise.[/b]
That trailer was sweet! I just saw it today! At first, it looked like it was going to be a college-oriented comedy of sorts, and then the city was being trashed by an unseen monster. No title was shown, just "J.J. Abrams" and "1-18-08". Not showing the attacker or giving the slightest hint to what it is (other than the fact that it's big) was a smart move. Mankind's greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. I don't know if it was aliens or Godzilla or what, but whatever it is, I'm hyped for this movie.


(Reply to this)
mojodaddy
mojodaddy writes:
on Jul 07 2007 01:24 PM

I personally am gonna be really bummed if it's Godzilla.

(Reply to this)
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