Project "Cloverfield"

Here's an interesting one. Paramount has released a movie trailer, currently running in the US before The Transformers, which basically amounts to a grainy home video of a twentysomething party abruptly turning into a scene of huge fireballs erupting into the city and culminating in the Statue of Liberty's head landing in a burning heap in the street. Intrigued?

There is no title. Only the date of 18 January, 2008 is shown, along with a line saying it is produced by Lost co-creator and Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams. The trailer is known by the code name Cloverfield, but apparently that is not the real movie title.

Great marketing campaign, the blogospere is abuzz. Everyone wants to know what the movie is called and everybody wants to see it.

Paramount have set up clues online, and sites such as EthanHaasWasRight.com ruminate that the film will involve H.P. Lovecraft's tales of monstrous ancient gods wreaking havoc on Earth. Or is it the much vaunted Voltron movie about ancient robotic lions that defend Earth from invasion. Some say it's a new Godzilla film, or a big-screen takeoff on Abrams' Lost TV series or an entirely original project. Plenty of chatter. All good for business.

Paramount has not posted the trailer online, are busy removing all pirate versions from YouTube and stick to the line of "no comment, yet" Congratulations, Paramount, you've got my attention.

Check out CNBC on the "mystery movie trailer"

/dp