Making Waves: Jennifer Lawrence Joins Zach Cregger’s Next Big Swing, “The Flood”
As Zach Cregger’s hot streak continues with the critical and commercial success of his third straight hit film, Resident Evil (in theaters now), it seems like a fitting time for the director’s upcoming project to attract one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Jennifer Lawrence will star in Cregger’s upcoming sci-fi thriller The Flood. Cregger’s next film was picked up by Warner Bros.’ New Line, reuniting the writer/director with the studio that produced his breakout smash Weapons in 2025.
“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 in a statement.
Once again, Cregger wrote the script from an original idea, and he’s set to direct and produce his latest for a quick-turnaround release on August 11, 2028. Production is slated to start early next year.
Cregger has worked with plenty of excellent performers in recent years, including Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and Amy Madigan in Weapons (the latter receiving an Oscar for her performance as Aunt Gladys, the film’s scene-stealing villain, a parasitic, transgenerational witch), as well as the rising star Austin Abrams in both Weapons and Resident Evil. It’s safe to say, however, that Lawrence is a major get, especially considering how carefully she selects her projects. Her most recent role was her scorching turn in Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love opposite Robert Pattinson, and next up she’ll star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night.
What we know about The Flood is that Cregger has his sights set on something quite different from anything he’s done before. While little is known about what Cregger has cooked up, he did offer a hint to Men’s Health that’s going to be catnip for film fans everywhere, let alone the growing legion of Cregger enthusiasts. “I’m not comparing [The Flood] to 2001, because I think 2001 is a true masterpiece in every sense of the word. But there’s a bizarreness to that movie that’s really undeniable, and it’s also a horror movie,” Cregger said about Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film. “I think 2001 is a really thrilling horror movie about human nature, and obviously about artificial intelligence, but it asks big questions. And I think, in that way, there’s some similarity with Flood.”
Featured image: R-l: Jennifer Lawrence at the Christian Dior fashion show as part of RTW Spring/Summer 2027 fashion week held at Bassin de l’Octogone on September 29, 2026, in Paris, France. (Photo by Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images); LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 13: Zach Cregger attends CinemaCon 2026- Opening Night and Sony Pictures Entertainment Presentation at the Dolby Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, on April 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for CinemaCon).
