Cloverfield from 2008 featured an impressive trio of talent in Matt Reeves, Drew Goddard, and J.J. Abrams, but only Abrams will return for the upcoming Cloverfield 2. Many are concerned about director Matt Reeves’ absence from the long-awaited follow-up, but Goddard is the contributor whom the sequel will miss the most.
Since directing Cloverfield, Matt Reeves has gone on to direct two of the greatest entries in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Of course, Reeves is also currently at work on The Batman. Because Reeves has exponentially proven himself as an accomplished franchise filmmaker over the years, fans are already concerned about his lack of involvement with Cloverfield 2, and understandably so. Still, what truly set Cloverfield apart was its script, penned by Drew Goddard.
Cloverfield marked Goddard’s first feature script, although he had already written several acclaimed episodes of Lost, Alias, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer at that point in his career. He remains responsible for the shocking twists and turns that continue to define Cloverfield to this day. Moments such as Marlena’s unexpected death remain some of the most memorable scenes from Cloverfield, and without Goddard involved, the sequel may not be able to deliver these same sorts of surprises.
In the years since Cloverfield first captivated audiences, Goddard has crafted two incredibly subversive films. 2012’s Cabin in the Woods was a witty deconstruction of the horror genre, while 2018’s Bad Times at the El Royale offered a provocative pastiche of Goddard’s many cinematic influences. Of course, sci-fi remains Goddard’s primary domain. The 45-year-old nabbed an Oscar nomination for his script for 2015’s The Martian and was part of the team behind World War Z. Goddard also created Netflix’s Daredevil series, which remains one of the MCU’s most beloved properties to this day. He was even in talks to direct the MCU’s Sinister Six, but the film ultimately fell through.
Goddard’s penchant for subverting traditional genre and narrative tropes has earned him a loyal following, one which was particularly excited to see his return to a major franchise. When Sinister Six fell through, and a Cloverfield sequel was finally announced, Goddard’s return to the series that jumpstarted his film career began to make more and more sense, perhaps even in the director’s chair. While Goddard’s writing output has grown increasingly prolific in recent years, his directorial outputs have remained slim. Considering how much the first film relied on Goddard’s twists and turns, as well as the writer-director’s close relationship with producer J.J. Abrams, his involvement with Cloverfield 2 would have made a great deal of sense.
Ultimately, the film will go on without him, which could prove difficult. Franchise spin-offs like 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox met varying degrees of success, never quite recreating the zeitgeist that defined their predecessor. Goddard managed to shock audiences and keep them speculating about his sci-fi universe for over a decade, and the franchise would almost certainly have benefitted from allowing him to further his vision in Cloverfield 2.
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