10 Movies That Started As Something Else Entirely
3. 10 Cloverfield Lane Didn't Start Out In The Cloververse
10 Cloverfield Lane is seen as the spiritual sequel to the first Cloverfield film but like The Cloverfield Paradox, 10 Cloverfield Lane started as a completely separate film and only became part of the franchise after the script was already written.
It was originally a small scale film titled The Cellar, written by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken. And all throughout the production the cast and crew had noticed the similarities to the first Cloverfield film.
When production had finished, JJ Abrams and Bad Robot decided that the film could very well tie into the Cloververse. And after shooting Star Wars: The Force Awakens, JJ Abrams thought up the title.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead mentioned that the cast were only told the title a few days before the first trailer was released. It's a fascinating way of producing a franchise, only choosing to absorb a film into it after production's already begun.