Exhibit A: This trailer that screens before selected prints of Iron Man 2.

Exhibit B: This strange website confirmed to be connected with Exhibit A.

Confused? Don’t worry, they’re meant to be confusing. Nobody knows entirely what’s going on, but I can help illuminate matters a bit.

The movie in question is Super 8, a new movie from J.J. Abrams. In typical Abrams fashion, the plot for the project is being kept under very tight wraps, but a few details are known. For example, it’s known that the project began when Abrams wanted to make a tribute to the sci-fi and supernatural movies made by Steven Spielberg in the ’70s and ’80s. Spielberg himself signed on when Abrams met with him to pick his brains and get his blessing.

The movie itself will take place in 1979. Area 51 will somehow serve as a plot point and a Super 8 camera will likely be involved. This latter point is a huge sign that Abrams is going for nostalgic value, as Super 8 was the film format of choice for independent filmmakers back in the day. It’s no exaggeration to say that hundreds of people would never have made it into the history of showbiz if not for that camera.

My current thoughts on the movie can be summed up thusly: “Oh no, not again.”

Early rumors connected this film to Cloverfield, claiming that Super 8 would be a prequel, sequel or side story. Those rumors have since been shot down. This will be a totally different top-secret J.J. Abrams monster movie featuring a hand-held camera. Even if we take that as true, it means that we’re starting completely from scratch. If you’re wondering what the big deal about that is, consider this.

A huge amount of viral marketing went into Cloverfield. So much backstory and so many mysteries, all presented in an interactive way and made compelling with the pay-off that would come on January 18, 2008. So the movie came and what did we get? Here’s what we got. So many questions and absolutely zero answers. The movie did not address the viral material in any way, shape or form. All those mysteries with no answers and with no sequel in sight to ever address them. All that work and detail, all those sites and data, all thrown in the garbage.

And now we’re getting another movie with an enigmatic teaser and a mysterious ad campaign to try and capture the Cloverfield lightning once more. Fuck that noise.

If you’re interested in playing the Super 8 viral game, be my guest. I’ll even give you this link to help you get started. But for my part, I know that I’m definitely sitting this one out.

By the way, that teaser was shot separately. The film itself isn’t due to start shooting until this fall. I don’t know if this film is going to get in the way of Star Trek 2, but it had better not.

Super 8 is due in theaters sometime next summer.