Jennifer Lawrence Joins Zach Cregger’s Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Flood’

Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence is heading into darker territory, as the acclaimed actress has officially signed on to star in The Flood, the upcoming sci-fi movie from writer-director Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons.

The Flood will be released exclusively in theaters on August 11, 2028, with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. handling the release. Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment is producing the film.

Specific plot details are being kept firmly under wraps for now, but Cregger has already offered a few hints about what audiences can expect from his latest project.

Despite coming from the filmmaker responsible for two of the most talked-about horror movies of recent years, Cregger says The Flood won’t be quite as horror-focused as his previous work. During a recent Reddit AMA, the director explained that the movie will still contain unsettling elements and moments of horror.

“Flood is not quite as horror central as the other movies (altho it might be the most unsettling) and it does have horror moments and aspects,” Cregger said.

While the film may move away from outright horror, one of Cregger’s trademarks will remain intact: his unconventional approach to storytelling.

Cregger previously told Deadline that The Flood will once again play with the structure of its narrative, following in the footsteps of Barbarian and Weapons.

“It is another movie that is structurally bizarre. Like Barbarian and Weapons, it doesn’t jump perspective, but it structurally is, I think, dexterous,” Cregger said.

Lawrence will lead the film, marking another major collaboration between Cregger and Warner Bros. following the success of Weapons.

“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. Following our extraordinary experience together on Weapons, we could not be more excited to reunite with Zach and the team at Vertigo, as well as Amblin to bring this ambitious film to audiences around the world,” said Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Cregger is equally enthusiastic about returning to work with the studio and bringing Lawrence into his strange new world.

“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. Jennifer is one of a kind, and I’m beyond excited to see her in this role,” Cregger said.

Exactly what that role entails remains a mystery, with the filmmakers keeping the story and Lawrence’s character details under wraps. However, Cregger has described The Flood as his most unsettling movie yet, suggesting that Lawrence could be facing another particularly intense genre performance.

Lawrence already has several genre credits under her belt, including Mother! and House at the End of the Street. She will also appear in the upcoming horror thriller What Happens At Night.

For now, audiences will have to wait for more details on exactly what Cregger has planned. But with Lawrence leading a new sci-fi story from the filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons, The Flood is already shaping up to be one of the more mysterious genre projects on the horizon.

The Flood arrives in theaters August 11, 2028.