10 Cloverfield Lane has scary monsters

Eight years after Cloverfield caused a stir in cinemas with its own take on the horror genre, 10 Cloverfield Lane is here with its associated tales of monsters great and small.

Who’s in it

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is headlining the follow-up to 2008 horror Cloverfield, starring as Michelle. She awakes after an automobile accident to find herself locked inside an underground bunker, either rescued from mortal dangers or kidnapped by John Goodman’s apocalypse-ready survivalist, Howard Stambler.

Part of the ensemble cast that won a Screen Actors Guild award for Bobby, Winstead co-starred in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, confirming her suitability for lead roles with acclaimed addiction recovery romance Smashed, and notching up appearances in horrors The Ring Two and 2011’s The Thing remake.

Goodman, practically a Hollywood institution, is strongly associated with Coen Brothers films (including The Big Lebowski and Inside Llewyn Davis) and 1980s and 1990s TV series Roseanne.

His more serious roles include The Artist, Beyond The Sea, Treme and Damages.

Bradley Cooper of Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and American Sniper is also involved, as is John Gallagher Jr of The Newsroom and romantic thriller The Heart Machine.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars in 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Who wrote it

Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken came up with the story together, 10 Cloverfield Lane being the pair’s first produced collaboration and the second writing credit for each of them.

It’s Damien Chazelle – brought in to help hone the screenplay – who has the far higher profile, having written and directed Whiplash and the upcoming comedy drama La La Land.

Who’s directing

Another relative unknown, Dan Trachtenberg, has booked his first feature film gig in 10 Cloverfield Lane.

If that’s not strictly true – he was on board for sci-fi novel adaptation Y The Last Man before it was shelved – the commercial director and Totally Rad Show podcast host has some experienced producers as backup Star Wars man JJ Abrams and Bad Robot partner Bryan Burk provide continuity between Cloverfield and this latest instalment.

And if Trachtenberg gets his big break with 10 Cloverfield Lane, he’ll be following in the footsteps of Matt Reeves, who made his own name with the original Cloverfield. – AFP Relaxnews