The currently unnamed Cloverfield 3 may have finally had its title revealed - one that directly links to its off-course space station story. The third entry in J.J. Abrams’ mystery box anthology series was for the longest time known simply as God Particle, a reference to the in-movie element that sends Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debecki, and the rest of their space station crew into disaster. Once it became clear Julius Onah’s film was part of the Cloverfield franchise, however, it was understood the movie would get renamed.

That retitle was expected to be soon. After being pushed back several times, Cloverfield 3 finally got a firm April 2018 release date set earlier this year, leading to the Alternate Reality Game recently starting up and a trailer expected next month. Yet, even with all this development, the actual title has remained a mystery - until now, possibly.

Ray Xu, a lighting artist at Moving Picture Company (MPC) has listed Cloverfield Station as one of his credits on LinkedIn. Based on the dates provided and narrative links, the best conclusion is that this is the new name of God Particle. This isn’t official confirmation, of course, but is nevertheless a strong suggestion.

For starters, the name makes perfect sense given what we know of the movie’s plot and continues the naming convention started with 10 Cloverfield Lane. Xu’s provided details also fit, and while he isn’t credited on IMDb, that’s par for the course when dealing with outside companies in technical areas - often only team heads get a credit. It is still possible this is a hoax or that Xu has made a mistake, although it’s easier to believe he simply jumped the gun.

If true, this would pose something quite exciting for the franchise: the word Cloverfield said out loud. In the first movie, Cloverfield was the military designation for the monster attacking New York City, while in the second it’s the name of the street where John Goodman’s house/bunker is - but neither was ever said by characters. As it’s the name of the essential space station, it’s probable someone will finally drop “Cloverfield” third time around.

That this has been revealed ahead of the intended official announcement is a major knock against Abrams’ mystery box style of marketing. God Particle has already been under immense scrutiny from early on in development due to theorized Cloverfield connections - fans guessed it was the threequel well ahead of official announcement - and now the title has been uncovered prematurely. This was always a danger as the series expanded, but is something Bad Robot needs to take into account going forward (Paramount are reportedly aiming for a movie a year).

Whether this is true or not, we’re not going to find out either way until a trailer arrives (that’s how the names of the last two films were revealed). The teaser’s currently expected to be alongside Annihilation, Paramount’s next theatrical release on February 27, a mere five weeks before the film actually hits cinemas. When that hits, don’t be surprised if the logo says Cloverfield Station at the end.

Next: Cloverfield 3 is 2018’s Most Anticipated Horror Movie

Source: Ray Xu [via Reddit]

  • God Particle Release Date: 2018-02-04 The Cloverfield Paradox Release Date: 2018-02-04