When the original Cloverfield opened in cinemas in 2008, secrecy surrounded the production so much that the first trailer released didnt even include the title of the film. The trailer to the supposed sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, arrived unannounced with nobody outside JJ Abrams production company Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures knowing of its existence.

It showed a homely scene of a family interacting together, but then tensions ignite and the lead character Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) makes a break for the outside world despite warnings.

The film, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, isnt shot using home video cameras like Cloverfield, prompting fans to ask the question of how the two are connected. Speaking in an interview, Abrams said 10 Cloverfield Lane was linked to Cloverfield but had an original story and original characters.

10 Cloverfield Lane has a connection to the original Cloverfield in its DNA; in the feeling we had working on it. We realised this felt like it was part of something bigger, he said. As we were working on the movie, we realised it could be part of an anthology of stories, but at the same time theyre connected in a way that most anthologies arent and theres a bigger idea were playing with.

The film began its global rollout on 10 March.