Back in 2016, J.J. Abrams pulled off the impossible when his production company, Bad Robot, announced and released the surprise sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane, directed by Dan Trachtenberg. The trailer seemingly dropped out of the sky that January, catching moviegoers off guard. How did one of the best-known filmmakers in the world manage to produce an action movie almost entirely in secret, without fans even catching wind that it was a Cloverfield sequel? It was a rare, thrilling coup, and ultimately paid off as the film went on to gross a solid $110 million worldwide.
But now, two years later, the anticipated next installment of the loosely connected franchise, God Particle, has seen its release date shifted again.
God Particle was originally supposed to hit theaters on February 24, 2017. Then, it was shifted to October 27, 2017. Then Paramount removed it from the schedule entirely before quietly bringing it back and moving the film to February 2, 2018. But no trailers or marketing materials of any kind were released, even though the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane had been released at least two months before that film’s premiere. Now, Variety reports, God Particle has been shunted further down the schedule once more; its current release date is April 20, 2018.
Precious little is known about the movie even though, though it isn’t as shrouded in secrecy as 10 Cloverfield Lane was. It’s directed by Julius Onah and based on a screenplay by Oren Uziel and Doug Jung. The plot revolves around a group of astronauts who discover a dangerous energy source called the “God Particle”; the cast includes David Oyelowo,Elizabeth Debicki,Chris O’Dowd,Gugu Mbatha-Raw,Ziyi Zhang, and Daniel Brühl. No word yet on which actor was awarded with the precious title drop.
Considering Abrams trades in mystery—especially for these Cloverfield films—it’s difficult to speculate why the film has continually been pushed back. It could be result of any of the typical issues that plague films, like re-shoots or conflicting release dates with other Paramount films (like the sci-fi thriller Annihilation). And in any case, 10 Cloverfield Lane faced a long and arduous road to theaters. Paramount scooped up a Black List script in 2012 and refit it for the Cloverfield universe. Damien Chazelle was brought in to re-write the screenplay and direct it, but exited once he got the funds for his indie drama Whiplash. Then Trachtenberg was ushered in to get the movie—then codenamed Valencia—back on track. Two years later, the film was finally hitting theaters all over the world.
Behind-the-scenes details about God Particle are much slighter, so we’ll take the ever-changing release dates with a grain of salt. For now, anyway.
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:The Versace: American Crime Story Cast and Their Real-Life Counterparts
Édgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace
The Emmy nominee stars as the limited series’s namesake, the flamboyant designer murdered in Miami at the peak of his career.Photo: Left, by David Lees/The LIFE Images Collection; Right, by Rachel Murray, both from Getty Images.
Penélope Cruz as Donatella Versace
The Oscar-winning actress will go blonde to play Versace’s sister, who took over the creative aspects of her brother’s fashion empire after his murder.Photo: Left, by Catherine McGann; Right, by Samir Hussein/WireImage, both from Getty Images.
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan
Criss has come a long way from his Glee days; he’ll play serial killer Cunanan, who ended his cross-country murder spree by killing himself before the police could apprehend him.Photo: Left, by Jamie Scott Lytle/Sygma; Right, by Mike Windle, both from Getty Images.
Ricky Martin as Antonio D’Amico
The Latin pop sensation will show off his acting chops as Versace’s longtime partner, an Italian designer with a fraught relationship to the Versace family.Photo: Left, by Alberto Roveri/Mondadori Portfolio; Right, by Venturelli/WireImage.PreviousNext
Édgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace
The Emmy nominee stars as the limited series’s namesake, the flamboyant designer murdered in Miami at the peak of his career.Left, by David Lees/The LIFE Images Collection; Right, by Rachel Murray, both from Getty Images.
Penélope Cruz as Donatella Versace
The Oscar-winning actress will go blonde to play Versace’s sister, who took over the creative aspects of her brother’s fashion empire after his murder.Left, by Catherine McGann; Right, by Samir Hussein/WireImage, both from Getty Images.
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan
Criss has come a long way from his Glee days; he’ll play serial killer Cunanan, who ended his cross-country murder spree by killing himself before the police could apprehend him.Left, by Jamie Scott Lytle/Sygma; Right, by Mike Windle, both from Getty Images.
Ricky Martin as Antonio D’Amico
The Latin pop sensation will show off his acting chops as Versace’s longtime partner, an Italian designer with a fraught relationship to the Versace family.Left, by Alberto Roveri/Mondadori Portfolio; Right, by Venturelli/WireImage.
Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
[contf] [contfnew] 
Vanity Fair
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
