Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence will star in Zach Cregger’s upcoming original sci-fi thriller The Flood
for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. Produced alongside Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, the ambitious project has been officially dated for theatrical release on August 11, 2028.
Jennifer Lawrence Boards Zach Cregger’s Sci-Fi Thriller
Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence is heading into deep space. Jennifer Lawrence has officially signed on to headline The Flood, marking the next major feature from writer, producer, and director Zach Cregger. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are steering the project, which reunites the filmmaker with the studio behind Weapons.
While plot specifics remain closely guarded, the film was picked up by New Line after it stalled at Netflix, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment is producing the feature alongside Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment.
Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most gifted and compelling actors working today, and we are thrilled to have her at the center of Zach’s bold and wholly original vision for The Flood.
Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, Warner Bros. Motion Picture chairs, via Deadline
From Horror Roots to Deep-Space Ambitions
Cregger built a reputation in the horror landscape with Barbarian and the box-office success Weapons, which grossed $270 million worldwide. Following those successes, he directed an adaptation of Resident Evil that crossed $200 million globally in just two weeks and pushed Rotten Tomatoes scores to 96% with critics and 91% with audiences.
Yet Cregger has clarified that his upcoming sci-fi venture diverges from traditional genre tropes.
It unfolds in a very unique way that I’m really proud of. It’s disturbing, but it’s not a horror movie, although there are horror scenes in it. It feels intimidating to me.
Zach Cregger, Writer and Director, via IGN
Cregger has pointed to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as an artistic touchstone for the film’s ambition and questions regarding artificial intelligence and human nature. Trade reporting from Dread Central notes that the narrative centers on a deep-space captain and her crew investigating a cryptic signal from a distant world, where they encounter an alien artifact that can warp time, reality, and sanity.
How Spielberg Inspired the Concept
The genesis of The Flood arrived under unique creative pressure. Cregger explained that an opportunity arose to develop something with Spielberg.
The sudden inspiration struck while watching a movie involving an abandoned spaceship alongside his wife. When his wife, actress Sara Paxton, remarked on the terror of being trapped in space, it unlocked the idea.
Mike, Pam and the whole Warner Bros./New Line team were an absolute dream to collaborate with on Weapons, and I couldn’t be happier to dive in with them again.
Zach Cregger, Director, via Just Jared
Production Timeline and Upcoming Release
Lawrence joins the production following a stretch that includes a Golden Globe nomination for Die My Love, starring alongside Robert Pattinson.
Preparation for Cregger’s sci-fi epic is moving. Cregger has expressed hope to start hard prep in February and shoot next summer, leading toward a global theatrical release on August 11, 2028.