J.J. Abrams’ New Sci-Fi Movie’s Potential Cloverfield Connection Gets Definitive Response

Published Aug 12, 2026, 12:05 PM EDT

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

After months of rumors and speculation, J.J. Abrams finally revealed whether his new film, The End of Oak Street, is part of the *Cloverfield *franchise.

The End of Oak Street stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as a married couple whose life is suddenly turned upside down when dinosaurs start roaming their neighborhood, and they do whatever they possibly can to protect themselves and their kids. Abrams serves as a producer on the film, which was directed and written by David Robert Mitchell.

Dinosaurs in the Suburbs

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Due to Abrams’ role as a producer on the *Cloverfield *films, there’s been a lot of talk on social media that The End of Oak Street, another sci-fi project, is secretly the newest installment in that franchise. However, the filmmaker put an end to the rumors in an interview with THR, saying definitely that the two properties are not connected.

Other than the fact that Mary Elizabeth Winstead, one of the stars of 10 Cloverfield Lane, is married to McGregor, “people are just making connections that they happen to see,” according to Abrams.

“The only connection to our Cloverfield movies is that Ewan’s partner is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was the star of 10 Cloverfield Lane, who we were very lucky to get to work with and who I adore. So there was that, but other than that, people are just making connections that they happen to see.”

The first Cloverfield movie, directed by Matt Reeves, came out in 2008 and centers on New Yorkers attempting to survive the arrival of a monster threatening the city. Amid explosions and a power outage, Rob Hawkins and his friends set out to save his romantic interest, Beth McIntyre.

The sci-fi movie, which is told through the lens of found footage, grossed $172.3 million at the box office and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critic score of 78%. *Cloverfield *won Best Science Fiction Film at the Saturn Awards.

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