Zach Cregger isn’t slowing down. The filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons is currently gearing up for the release of his new take on Resident Evil, but he’s already looking ahead to what comes next. One of those projects is The Flood, a mysterious project that Cregger says came together during an intense burst of inspiration sparked by his desire to work with Steven Spielberg. And while Cregger isn’t ready to reveal much about what The Flood is actually about, the story of how he came up with it might be almost as intriguing as the movie itself.
Cregger explained to Deadline that The Flood came about because he was excited about the possibility of working with Spielberg. There was a brief window in which Cregger could come up with an idea and potentially link up with the legendary filmmaker, leaving him with roughly five days to figure out what that idea might be. The pressure sent him into what he describes as a creative frenzy.
While watching a movie during that period, Cregger saw a character enter an abandoned spaceship. His wife then made a simple observation that immediately got his imagination going.
“There’s nothing scarier than being trapped in space.”
Cregger started wondering what could possibly be stranger or more frightening than someone entering an abandoned spaceship and discovering something disturbing inside. Then the entire movie idea suddenly came to him.
“In a flash, I had the whole movie explode in front of my eyes.”
Cregger says he immediately knew what the movie could be and probably even stood up and announced that he had figured it out. He describes the experience as a “total ridiculous moment,” but clearly one that stuck with him.
He then wrote The Flood while simultaneously working on Resident Evil.
We still don’t know exactly what Cregger has planned for The Flood, and that’s probably for the best. The filmmaker has kept the project mysterious, with the Deadline interview offering more insight into his passion for the movie than its actual story. But Cregger made one thing abundantly clear: he really, really wants to make this movie.
Discussing his feelings about The Flood, he told Deadline:
“I will burn my house down to make this movie.”
That’s obviously hyperbole, but it says a lot about how strongly Cregger feels about the project. He went on to imagine God himself giving him the choice between making the movie and losing his house, with Cregger joking that he would accept the deal without hesitation.
Cregger’s comments about The Flood become even more interesting when viewed alongside what he has said about Resident Evil. Cregger has been adamant that he doesn’t want to become a filmmaker who simply jumps from one established franchise to another. Speaking with Deadline, he said that he has been very clear about not wanting to tackle other franchises after Resident Evil.
The reason he made an exception for Resident Evil is that he’s genuinely a fan of the games and believes in the story he developed for the movie.
“I’m making the Resident Evil movie that I wish existed.”
Cregger doesn’t appear interested in taking over franchises simply because Hollywood offers him the opportunity. He wants to make movies that excite him. And The Flood sounds like the purest version of that: an idea that appeared almost fully formed in his head, written during a creative frenzy, and a movie he is now so passionate about making that he’d apparently sacrifice his house for it.
For now, that’s the big mystery. Cregger has revealed the basic inspiration behind The Flood, but he hasn’t disclosed the actual story details. All we know from his comments is that the project was born from the idea of being trapped in space and asking what could be even more frightening than that. Considering Cregger’s track record, that is enough to make The Flood one of the more intriguing upcoming horror projects to keep an eye on.
Before we get there, though, audiences will get to see what Cregger has done with Resident Evil. The film stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who becomes caught in the middle of a biohazard outbreak, and Cregger has promised that it will be the most violent movie he has ever made. Early footage has already generated enthusiastic reactions, with JoBlo’s JimmyO praising the first 30 minutes for balancing horror, atmosphere, and comedy.
Resident Evil arrives in theaters on September 18, 2026. As for The Flood, Cregger clearly has no shortage of enthusiasm. Now we just have to find out what was so terrifying that it made him see an entire movie in a flash.
Coming our way from Warner Bros. and Amblin, The Flood is set to reach theatres on August 11, 2028. Are you interested? Let us know by leaving a comment below.