clover field It wasn’t Matt Reeves’ feature directorial debut, but it’s the movie that put him on a two-way trajectory. planet of the apes Movies and the 2022s BatmanNow, while you might think the found-footage monster movie would be a walk in the park for filmmakers who’ve seen blockbusters with ease over the past decade, it’s with producer JJ Abrams and screenwriter Drew Goddard. On joining the enterprise late in the game, Reeves cut a job for him and production began just three months later.
Since movies mostly take place at night, Reeves himself shot many of his films handheld to achieve cinema verite style, but the late nights and rushed schedules quickly took its toll.
“This doctor came in and he said, ‘You look like you’re continuing to get sick. It’s a thing,” says Reeves hollywood reporter“And I read the warning that ‘it can create false euphoria,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my god, a director can’t have false euphoria.’ ‘, so I was like, ‘I can’t stand this.'”
clover field Since then, there have been two loosely connected sequels in the form of Dan Trachtenberg 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and Julius Honor’s The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), there’s no proper direct sequel yet, and one is in development, but Reeves puts these cards near his best.
“We can never say what we are doing because it is clover field When clover field the rule is that you don’t speak clover field‘ says Reeves. “About clover field From the beginning, it’s always been amazing how it came together, and I hope it continues to be amazing.
in a recent conversation with THR In support of the film’s new limited-edition 4K steelbook, Reeves is also lamenting the fact that it surrounds the mystery. clover field‘s 2008 release would have been spoiled by today’s scoopers and social media.
Happy 15th, Matt.
Thank you very much. It’s strange. I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. I don’t know what happened.
So from time to time I like to dabble in fan theories like [The Batman’s] Edward Nashton (Paul Dano) is the son of Edward Elliott.
Oh!
But I can trace the behavior clover field When lostSo how much forethought and calculation went into creating that type of engagement?
Now, what drew me to this film, and what the film was always intended to be, was the experience of mentioning something you didn’t have an answer for. It was the record of people who had experiences they didn’t fully understand. They saw something, but didn’t know where it came from. But there are very few clues. There is a moment at the end when you realize there is something in the sky on the Ferris wheel. We’re at the post office and we’re like, “What if we did something with this shot? What if we actually saw a meteor come and hit the water?”
So the whole movie was honestly a seat-in-the-pants experience. [Abrams], “Well, why don’t we wait until Drew Goddard has finished writing the script before we decide whether to do it?” And he said, “You can’t do that.” why?” he said. And he said, “Because we’re shooting in 12 weeks.” And I was like “What!?” So Drew and I met and started talking, and then JJ came to talk. And then we started planning all this. Everything happened very quickly. I knew I wanted to be essentially a Godzilla movie from the perspective of a human on earth, and I knew I was trying to create something that people could understand what it was all about. never gave you the answer.
So when the movie came out, the marketing was so focused on getting answers back that some people were frustrated, but the reality is that movies are always meant to be an experience. was doing. “Wow, I was in the middle of something and I didn’t get any answers, but I did get a sense of what it was.” It was nothing.
paramount pictures
A direct sequel is probably at some stage developmentbut I’m shocked that I haven’t seen Rob’s (Michael Stahl-David) and Beth’s (Odette Annable) tapes to some degree. mosquito?
To be honest, when we finished we were [Reeves, Abrams, Goddard] Everyone had an idea of what the sequel would be like, but it was just one of many things that stretched our schedule in different directions. Never was. 10 Cloverfield Lane I was like, ‘Oh, this is a really exciting way to keep exploring the tones of this world.But making a direct sequel was the first thing we did… I think something happened in the movie when Hud was on the bridge before his tail came and broke the Brooklyn Bridge in half. There is a moment when you actually see someone filming he And then you realize, ‘Oh, I have a different view tonight. That was one of my thoughts on what could be the beginning of another story.A different perspective would be a different story.
I’ve talked about all of them because it’s going to be another story of those who survived tonight. There was an idea I had for something… we all had ideas and we never got in line again. can’t say that clover field When clover field the rule is that you don’t speak clover fieldSo it’s interesting that it didn’t directly transition to something else, but ended up in a very interesting direction.i.e. Dan’s [Trachtenberg] The movie is a really cool movie.about clover field From the beginning, the way it came together was always amazing.
Oddly enough, that’s actually one of its characteristics as well. It may not be possible now, but at the time it was a unique idea to suddenly make a trailer for this movie that no one had heard of and had no title. transformers Weekend 4th of July. I don’t know if it can be done anymore.
There’s no shortage of social media and online scoopers, but are you upset that you couldn’t keep your secrets and make a similar release today?
To do.I remember the very early teaser trailer when I was a kid near encounter of of Third Kindness It described different kinds of contact, but I had no idea what the movie was about. In that sense, the mystique of the film is gone. For something that takes over a cultural moment and allows for a certain level of discovery and surprise, I think it’s gone. I try to do that all the time, but the idea of it actually literally coming out of nowhere is kind of impossible nowadays.So I miss that. am. Discover, I loved going to the movies but he’s the one.
paramount pictures
You are a completely different director now than you were then.
15 years older! (smile.)
How will the 2023 version of Matt Reeves direct this film?
Well, I don’t know. I think you will be very tired. I was tired and 15 years younger at the time. That movie was Sprint. Because all the money was spent on VFX and all posts. So we had to get the movie in a can, and the experience of shooting it was just a rush. In fact, there were moments when I felt sick many times on set. It was crazy.
And this doctor came and he said: i can give you this Please accept it if you like. ’ And I was like, ‘Well, what is it? And he said, “It’s a drug called Provigil.” And I was like, “Well, what is Provigil?” And he says, ‘Well, this is what we give fighter pilots with overnight bombings in Iraq. And I was like, “What?” And he says, “Yeah, so you can go on.” And he said, “I don’t know if I’ll take it.” And I read the warning “may produce false euphoria”. And I keep saying, ‘Oh my God, a director can’t be falsely euphoric. And everyone else will say, ‘You haven’t shot anything yet.
But I say make it Batman Them Star monkey’s Movies, they’re huge, exhausting jobs, but that’s a different kind of thing. clover field, I had my camera with me most of the time, and it was very much like a run-around. We made it for Paramount, but it was like a tiny little Handycam made indie by the pants, so it would be physically difficult to make one today.
Congratulations on your 15th anniversary, Matt. clover fieldand today I am happy to have grown old with you.
(smile.) Yes, great!
***
Limited Edition 4K SteelBook clover field is now available. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
