Inde Navarrette Lands Lead Role in Apple’s Wild Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Waffle House Index’

Rising star Inde Navarrette is set to headline Apple Original Films’ upcoming sci-fi thriller The Waffle House Index. The project, produced by Plan B Entertainment, marks another major career milestone for the actress, who will also serve as an executive producer on the film.

Director Louis Paxton, known for The Incomer‘s NEXT Innovator Award win at Sundance, will helm the project. Andrew Nunnelly penned the screenplay, which landed on the 2025 Black List.

The film takes its inspiration from a real phenomenon: the Waffle House Index, an informal way meteorologists gauge hurricane severity by checking whether the chain’s locations stay open during extreme weather. But this movie version goes wild.

Navarrette plays a Waffle House waitress whose ordinary shift spirals into chaos when an armed stranger walks in. What happens next defies descriptionthe plot reportedly includes massive floods, killer crocodiles, a nuclear explosion, extraterrestrial visitors, and a mysterious bunker hidden beneath the restaurant. It’s part disaster film, part sci-fi adventure, with dark comedy woven throughout.

The opportunity arrives as Navarrette’s stock in Hollywood is soaring. She recently broke through with Obsession, a horror film that became a surprise box-office hit in 2026. She’s also in talks to play Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot and has other projects lined up, including the thriller Invertigo.

Before her recent success, Navarrette appeared on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and The CW’s Superman & Lois.

Plan B Entertainment, the production company led by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, previously collaborated with Apple on the acclaimed F1 film. This new sci-fi project continues their partnership as Apple expands its original film slate.

No release date has been announced yet. More details about casting, production timelines, and Apple’s rollout plans should emerge as the project moves forward.