On the heels of her casting as Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men feature, Inde Navarrette is attached to star in The Waffle House Index, a sci-fi thriller package just picked up by Apple Original Films. In a first for Navarrette, she will also executive produce the project.
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About the Film
Apple Original Films has landed The Waffle House Index, a Plan B production with Navarrette in the lead role. The script is written by Andrew Nunnelly and Louis Paxton will serve as director.
Sources say the deal for the script was seven figures. The screenplay landed on the 2025 Black List.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Film Name | The Waffle House Index |
| Studio | Apple Original Films |
| Production Company | Plan B Entertainment |
| Lead Star | Inde Navarrette |
| Director | Louis Paxton |
| Screenplay | Andrew Nunnelly |
| Genre | Sci-Fi, Thriller |
| Script Origin | 2025 Black List |
| Script Deal | Seven Figures |
| Release Date | Not Yet Announced |
The Plot
The Black List logline noted that the Waffle House Index is a metric used by FEMA to measure the severity of a natural disaster, and Jane works the graveyard shift at her local Waffle House with a storm coming.
Nunnelly’s script centers on a Waffle House waitress whose already bad day gets worse when a stranger with a gun shows up during her night shift. What happens after involves a mass flood, killer crocodiles, a nuclear explosion, a magical bunker under the Waffle House, and aliens.
What Is the Real Waffle House Index?
The Waffle House Index is an informal barometer of a hurricane’s severity. The levels are based on how much service an area’s Waffle House, a chain that basically operates 24/7, is offering. Green means the restaurant is in full service mode and the damage is not severe; yellow means a limited menu, indicating low food supplies; and red is just bad news, a closed restaurant and a sign of unsafe conditions.
About the Director
Louis Paxton is a Scottish writer and director whose debut film The Incomer starred Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke and had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It took home the NEXT Innovator Award and will be released by Sumerian Pictures in the U.S. and Focus Features internationally. Louis previously directed episodes of the BBC One series Shetland and the BBC Three series Wreck.
About the Writer
Andrew Nunnelly began his career in the Snapchat Original series Denton’s Death Date. He is currently co-writing Anomaly for Searchlight Pictures and is also developing The Sleep Train, with active TV and feature development at New Regency, 3311 Productions, SeaView Productions and Prologue.
About Plan B Entertainment
The Waffle House Index becomes the latest Plan B and Apple collaboration as the production company, led by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, was one of the entities behind the Pitt racing drama F1. Plan B also recently produced the arty horror movie Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and is prepping to shoot the Sarah Polley-directed drama The Bell.
Who Is Inde Navarrette?
Danielle Fabiola “Inde” Navarrette was born on March 3, 2001. She was born in Tucson, Arizona, to an Australian mother and a Mexican father. Her father’s military career meant the family moved frequently while she was growing up, exposing her to different communities and cultures from an early age.
The nickname “Inde” came from her mother, who began calling her that because she was fiercely independent as a child. The name eventually stuck and became her professional identity.
She began her acting career as a teenager with roles in short films before landing roles in the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why in 2020 and The CW’s superhero drama series Superman and Lois from 2021 to 2024.
Her breakthrough came as Nikki Freeman in the supernatural horror film Obsession in 2025, which earned her critical acclaim. After Obsession, Navarrette completed filming the thriller Invertigo, where she takes on a lead role.
Filmography Table
| Year | Project | Role | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Denton’s Death Date | Veronica | Snapchat |
| 2020 | 13 Reasons Why | Estela de la Cruz | Netflix |
| 2021–2024 | Superman and Lois | Sarah Cortez | The CW |
| 2025 | Obsession | Nikki Freeman | Theatrical |
| TBA | X-Men | Rogue | MCU |
| TBA | The Waffle House Index | Jane | Apple Original Films |
Read More: Spider-Noir Cancelled at Amazon Prime Video: No Season 2
FAQs
What is The Waffle House Index film?
The Waffle House Index is an upcoming sci-fi thriller at Apple Original Films, starring Inde Navarrette as a Waffle House waitress whose graveyard shift descends into chaos involving an armed stranger, killer crocodiles, a flood, a nuclear explosion and aliens.
Who is directing The Waffle House Index?
Louis Paxton, whose Sundance Film Festival NEXT Innovator Award-winning The Incomer hits theatres later this month, is on board to direct.
Is Inde Navarrette also producing The Waffle House Index?
In addition to starring, Navarrette will serve as executive producer, marking the first time she has taken on a producing role.
What is the release date of The Waffle House Index?
There is no announced release date for the new film at this stage. Apple Original Films has not confirmed a theatrical or streaming premiere date.
What is Inde Navarrette’s biggest role before The Waffle House Index?
Following her acclaimed breakout role in the blockbuster hit Obsession, Navarrette has had her fair share of meetings and offers from which to choose in recent months, with this script at the top of her list.
