Update: According to Deadline, J.J. Abram’s new film God Particle has been taken off of Paramount’s schedule (originally slated for a February 24 release) and added a mysterious Cloverfield film for October 27, 2017. Given everything we know, this seems like they’re pushing God Particle to our favorite spooky season… because it’s the third Cloverfield movie! More on that theory in our original story below:

Earlier this year, J.J. Abrams teased that a potential Cloverfield 3 could follow 10 Cloverfield Lane, and if the latest report is true, the next chapter in the Cloverfield saga may be coming much sooner than expected.

The Wrap is reporting that the previously announced God Particle film is actually the next Cloverfield movie in disguise. (Meaning: don’t be surprised if it gets a new name before it hits theaters early next year.) God Particle stars David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Brühl, and Chris O’Dowd as team of astronauts stationed in space who uncover something that “challenges all they know about the fabric of reality, even as they desperately fight for their survival.”

Neither Paramount nor Bad Robot have confirmed the initial report, but Nerdist has reached out for comment and will update the post as more information becomes available.

Now the question remains: how could that set up possibly tie into the previous Cloverfield movies? As noted by /film, the ancillary material for 10 Cloverfield Lane may have actually set the stage for God Particle with a ten minute audio transmission purportedly from the International Space Station as the crew related some very unusual happenings in Earth’s orbit. You can listen to it below thanks to Redditor MugensKeeper:

Now, whether the events hinted at in this recording will unfold onscreen in God Particle remains to be seen. As you may recall, 10 Cloverfield Lane had some pretty unambiguous scenes that suggested an invasion was underway. Will the astronauts in God Particle witness it first?

God Particle will be released in theaters on February 24, 2017, but the first footage is expected to drop at a press event held by Paramount this Thursday, October 27.

Are you excited about the prospect of God Particle being Cloverfield 3? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Image: Paramount Pictures