‘Obsession’ Breakout Inde Navarrette Finds Her Next Big Sci-fi Thriller
Actress Inde Navarrette, whose breakout role in the horror film Obsession made her one of the year's most talked-about new stars, has landed her next major project: she will lead and executive produce The Waffle House Index, a new sci-fi thriller from Apple Original Films produced by Plan B Entertainment. The casting confirms months of speculation about where Navarrette would turn up next, following reports she had met with directors linked to Marvel's X-Men reboot and Heat 2, and marks a striking follow-up to her acclaimed performance as Nikki in Curry Barker's possession thriller.
Despite its mundane-sounding title, the film takes its name from the real "Waffle House Index", an informal measure of hurricane severity based on whether local Waffle House restaurants are open, limited or closed. The story reportedly follows Navarrette's character, a Waffle House waitress, as an already bad night spirals after an armed stranger enters the restaurant, escalating into a plot involving a massive flood, killer crocodiles, a nuclear explosion, a hidden bunker and aliens. The film continues Plan B's ongoing partnership with Apple, following Brad Pitt's F1, with the production company—led by Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner—also behind the recent horror title Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and the upcoming Sarah Polley drama The Bell Jar.
- Inde Navarrette to star in and produce Apple's The Waffle House Index
- Sci-fi thriller from Plan B follows Obsession breakout role
- Plot involves floods, crocodiles, a nuclear blast and aliens
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Inde Navarrette became one of the year's breakout stars thanks to her role in the horror film Obsession, and studios have been keen to line up her next project. She has now been cast as the lead in The Waffle House Index, a sci-fi thriller from Apple Original Films made by Plan B Entertainment, the production company run by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. She will also serve as an executive producer on the film.
The title refers to a genuine, informal way of gauging how bad a hurricane is by checking whether nearby Waffle House diners are open, running a limited menu, or shut altogether. The film uses that idea as the backdrop for a story about a waitress whose ordinary shift is upended by an armed intruder, before spiralling into a much larger disaster scenario.
The project matters partly because it continues Plan B's growing relationship with Apple, which recently included Brad Pitt's racing film F1, and partly because it is seen as a test of whether Navarrette can carry a major studio production after her breakout performance. It follows reported interest from other big franchises, including Marvel's X-Men reboot and the sequel Heat 2.