Cloverfield's Viral Slusho Website Is Active Again, Is This A Sign Of Monsters To Come?

It's been five years since a "Cloverfield" movie has graced our screens, but that appears to be changing now that a relic of the past from when the franchise first launched has resurfaced. As fans of the J.J. Abrams-produced monster movie franchise are no doubt well aware, secrecy and viral marketing have been a gimmick big part of the franchise since the very beginning. Now, a bit of viral marketing tied to the original 2008 blockbuster that started it all has us thinking that a sequel is imminent.

The Slusho website is once again active after being offline for some time. In 2007, well ahead of the release of "Cloverfield," a website for the fictional drink appeared and included an interactive game, though nothing directly connected to the movie. (It was all in-universe.) In its present-day form, visitors to the website are greeted with happy animated characters and a tagline boasting, "You can't drink just six!" You can then mix your own Slusho using six flavors: Blueberry Zoom, Chocolate Rage, Mikan, Nashi, Banana Anime, and Strawberry Tasty.

Whether or not one cares about the website is sort of inconsequential. The important thing here is that this is our first true sign that progress is being made on the next "Cloverfield" movie, a project announced back in early 2021. Has the movie already been filmed in secret, much like "10 Cloverfield Lane" was? Are we going to get a surprise release like "The Cloverfield Paradox," which dropped on Netflix right after Super Bowl LII in 2018? It's woefully unclear right now, but things certainly seem to be happening.

All we really know right now is that J.J. Abrams and Paramount are developing what is reportedly a direct sequel to "Cloverfield." The last two "Cloverfield" films absolutely took place in the same universe as the original movie, but were essentially spin-offs that focused on entirely different characters. When last we heard, Babak Anvari ("Wounds") had been tapped to direct this new installment, with Joe Barton ("The Ritual") penning the screenplay. Naturally, next to nothing by way of official updates have been shared, given the secretive nature of these productions.

For its part, Paramount has every motivation to make another one of these movies. "Cloverfield" was a smash hit, taking in $172 million worldwide against a $25 million budget and proving that found-footage could work on a blockbuster scale. "10 Cloverfield Lane" was equally successful, earning $108 million against a $15 million budget. Even "The Cloverfield Paradox" was profitable for Paramount thanks to its Netflix deal. In other words, the studio has earned money on this franchise every time it's gone to bat — and if this new movie truly is a direct sequel to the original "Cloverfield," that would really get people talking. Here's hoping we get something more concrete sooner rather than later.

The next "Cloverfield" movie does not currently have a release date.