It may be a while before we see a new entry in theCloverfield franchise, but this new short fan-made movie may help scratch that itch. Not only that, but for those who love all of the weird mystery that is woven into the fabric of the franchise, this new short does a great job of dipping into that well while also trying to tie together the events ofCloverfieldand10 Cloverfield Lane. The short, titledMegan, comes from director Greg Strasz, a visual artist, who is billing it as a “proof of concept” and something of a love letter to the franchise.
“Megan is a proof of concept that can be best described as a tribute to Bad Robot’s Cloverfield Universe, considering much inspiration was taken fromCloverfield(2008) and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), as well as the franchise’s websites, mangas, marketing campaigns and the online ARG (alternate reality game).”
The video starts off with a message warning that the mysteriousTagruato companythat has been tied to much of the Cloverfield viral marketing over the years unearthed something via some sketchy deep sea drilling efforts. We then cut to some folks on a beach who are having a pleasant day until a warning bursts out over everyone’s cell phones. They evacuate quickly and the military swoops in. On one of these helicopters is none other than Megan Stambler, the daughter of Howard Stambler (John Goodman) from10 Cloverfield Lane. There’s a rather sketchy man on board who, as it turns out, knew Howard. Before long, things get the usual amount of messed up when it comes to this franchise. In pretty impressive fashion, we might add, considering this is a fan-made short.
Megancarries with it impressive production value. It may be just a little over five minutes in length, but this thing looks terrific. One has to imagine they didn’t have a ton of money to work with. Despite that, it’s aworthy entry within this universe, even if it is unofficial. Who knows? Maybe this will come across J.J. Abrams' desk at Bad Robot.
As for how this kind of ties the universe together, the main character inMeganwas referenced, though never actually shown, on screen in10 Cloverfield Lane. She was originallysupposed to be the one in the bunker with Howardwho, as we know, isn’t the kind yet bizarre man he initially seemed to be. The younger Stambler was also a heavy fixture of the ARG (alternate reality game) that was released in March of 2016. Ganu Yoshida, the never-seen CEO of Tagruato, also shows up here, providing some more connective tissue.
J.J. Abrams has promised that a newCloverfieldmovie is going to happen, but details beyond that are virtually non-existent. It was speculated heavily that this year’sOverlordwas going to exist in that universe. However,that’s not going to be the case. Unfortunately, Netflix’sThe Cloverfield Paradox, which was dumped to the streaming service by Paramount, didn’t quite live up to the quality of previous entries. This short may help wash that bad taste out of your mouth. Be sure to check it out, courtesy of the Megan YouTube channel, for yourself below.
