Watch the trailer for JJ Abrams' surprise Cloverfield sequel

Surprise! Because you needed some good news this week, JJ Abrams' has secretly produced a 'blood relative' to his found footage monster movie Cloverfield. Not only that, but it's coming out ridiculously soon. It'll hit cinemas on March 11 in the US, but unfortunately we'll have to wait until April 8 in the UK.

Directed by relative unknown Dan Trachtenberg (who made Portal fan film No Escape), 10 Cloverfield Lane stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr who are being kept in an underground bunker against their will by none other than John Goodman. And yes, the trailer is just as good as that sounds.

Abrams has confirmed to Collider that it takes place in the same world as the New York destroying original. “The idea came up a long time ago during production. We wanted to make it a blood relative of Cloverfield," he says. "The idea was developed over time. We wanted to hold back the title for as long as possible.” And they've managed admirably. Mary Elizabeth Winstead had said previously that she was working on a film with Goodman, but there was never any reveal of the name and its relationship to Cloverfield. Her character apparently wakes up in the bunker and John Goodman tells her he's a doctor and that the city above is uninhabitable due to a disaster.

The trailer raises plenty of questions - see our 10 Cloverfield Lane breakdown - regarding what's in the outside world and why it's preferable to be in a bunker than outside, but we'll find out soon enough. One thing worth noting is that it's also coming to IMAX so while the majority of the film could be set underground, there's surely a reason why a screen of that size is necessary. Here's the rather lovely poster.

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Images: Paramount

Louise Blain

Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode.