The End of Oak Street director David Robert Mitchell isn't confirming or denying whether the upcoming sci-fi pic is part of the J.J. Abrams-produced Cloverfield franchise.
"Here’s what I can tell you. I wrote the script before I ever personally talked with J.J. You can make of that whatever you will," Mitchell told SFX Magazine. As for whether the film explains how the neighborhood ended up in whatever dinosaur-infested universe it's currently in, Mitchell says that “there are certainly some answers in there."
"Don't want to over-explain," he continued. "And I think it's a subjective thing as to whether or not someone has enough, but I believe that's the case."
The new movie, written and directed by Mitchell, sees a "mysterious cosmic event" transport Oak Street to an unknown location that's rife with dinosaurs, and the Platt family quickly realizes that the only way they can survive is by sticking together.
Now, there isn't a lot of evidence that points to Oak Street intersecting with, say, Cloverfield Lane in the upcoming film, but the whole different universes and creatures thing and the flash of light in the beginning of the trailer, and the fact that the movie was initially called Flowervale Street (clovers, flowers...), and the whole J.J. Abrams producing thing... I say, at minimum, there's a connection. But only time will tell.
The End of Oak Street arrives in theaters on August 14. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the rest of this year's biggest movie release dates.