‘Cloverfield’ Sequel Set at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, Paramount

Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot have brought on “The Batman” series showrunner Joe Barton to write the script for an untitled sequel to “Cloverfield,” the studio has confirmed.

Abrams will produce with Bad Robot head of film Hannah Minghella.

The 2008 monster movie became a viral hit, grossing $172 million worldwide, and was the launchpad of a Cloverfield universe that grew to encompass “10 Cloverfield Lane” and “The Cloverfield Paradox,” which premiered on Netflix in 2018. It helped launch the directing career of Matt Reeves, who is now helming “The Batman” feature.

While the original “Cloverfield” used the found-footage format that was popular for several years, the new installment will abandon the now-dated style, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Cloverfield” follows five young New Yorkers who are forced to flee a giant monster and other creatures while they’re having a farewell party. The cast included Lizzy Caplan and T.J. Miller. The production was kept secret and fueled intense speculation, which successfully created buzz for the relatively low-budget project. Abrams had conceived it as an homage to classic Godzilla movies.

Barton is the writer and creator of the 2019 British crime drama “Giri/Haji” and recently became showrunner of HBO Max’s “The Batman” Gotham PD spinoff series after Terence Winter left the show.

The Gotham PD series builds on the examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City explored in “The Batman” feature film, helping WarnerMedia build a Batman universe across multiple platforms.

Barton’s Amazon Studios sci-fi thriller “Invasion” is in post-production, with Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer starring.