J.J. Abrams is the man. The guy has been responsible for practicallyreinventing televisionandsaving itfrom the never-ending onslaught of reality shows and CSI spin-offs. He also made an extremelyunderrated moviethat got swept under the rug a bit due to it’s lead star being about as loony as Michael Jackson plus Prince times Rosie O’Donnell divided by Ron Workman. Now he’s at it again, this time stirring up all kinds of internet rumors and theories that would make a Star Wars fan crap themselves in frustration.

I speak, of course, about his upcoming “Blair Witch meets Godzilla” film tentatively-titled “Cloverfield”, set to release on January 18th, 2008. The reason this is relevant to gaming is because one of the many rumors is that this is actually a film based on the classic Midway arcade game,Rampage, in which multiple giant animals climb buildings, punch everything, and eat people.

Superman, Elio, and Glordon all looking up

Hit the jump for all the viral marketing, hints, theories, and anticipation you’re able to handle, as well as word from Abrams himself on why this is looking less and less likely like aRampageor Cthulu film. And no, you can’t have mySlushot-shirt.

At the Paramount Pictures Comic-Con panel Abrams had this to say:

Three characters walking through red water with a massive dinosaur looming over them in jurassic world rebirth next to a boy riding a black dragon in how to train your dragon

His quick speech suggests that it’s only one monster, and that it’s something completely original. This doesn’t rule outRampageentirely, as the possibility of multiple monsters may still be one of the movies many secrets, and the design of the creatures fromRampagecould still be “insane” and “intense” but- holy shit, I’m doing it right now aren’t I?

Anyway, to dive into the sea of theories and viral marketing, tryanyofthesesites. A warning however; it can get addicting, especially since the trailer is so goddamn intriguing, and the creators are being incredibly tight-lipped about the whole thing. Personally, with the movie still several months away, I don’t think I can torture myself any longer. It’d be like waiting until next year to see another episode of Lost …

Steve, Garrett, and Henry standing on a bridge in front of a Woodland Mansion in A Minecraft Movie.

Five A Minecraft Movie characters standing in a blocky Minecraft forest with a dog.

A Minecraft Movie cast standing together in Minecraft

The Fantastic Four standing in front of a large blue four in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps film.

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The Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts teams from Marvel

The fantastic four standing in front of a big blue four on a stage and a close up shot of superman with a serious expression