J.J. Abrams is a master of deception. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Lost co-creator pulled a fast one on us with the surprise launch of Cloverfield back in 2008 and continues that tradition as the “franchise” continues to build. This past spring, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman sparred in the “spiritual sequel” 10 Cloverfield Lane and now it appears a third entry is coming to screens next year in the form of Abrams-backed God Particle, which it was revealed today would shift release dates and is now dubbed as “2017 Cloverfield Movie.” The Wrap was the first to observe this last month.

Paramount, the studio behind all three Cloverfield titles, seemingly showed its hand as God Particle – which is directed by Julius Onah and stars David Oyelowo (Selma), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Miss Sloane), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby) and Daniel Brühl (Rush) – was removed from its schedule; the film had been slated to open on February 24, 2017. In conjunction, Paramount announced a J.J. Abrams-produced “2017 Cloverfield Movie” – to be released in IMAX – would open on October 27, 2017. Reportedly, Paramount and Abrams’ Bad Robot banner have been developing the title, but today’s announcement appears to confirm the film’s Cloverfield connection. As is the norm for Cloverfield-related musings, this may be becoming more and more curious by the day.

God Particle, in plot description, details a shocking discovery forces a team of astronauts aboard a space station to fight for survival while their reality has been altered. The ensemble cast for the film includes Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha), Chris O’Dowd (St. Vincent) and John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook). Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) and Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond) wrote the screenplay.

In 2008, the first Cloverfield, in the midst of mystifying viewers, earned a strong $80 million domestically as it set it’s course for modern science fiction lore. 10 Cloverfield Lane, which was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, was a spring 2016 hit for Paramount, earning north of $70 million at the domestic box office. More secrecy is sure to follow.

We will stay tuned.