‘Weapons’ and ‘Barbarian’ Director Zach Cregger Is Switching Genres for His Next Film

Photo: Quantrell Colbert/Warner Bros. Pictures

Zach Cregger, the visionary horror auteur behind Weapons, the breakout hit Barbarian, and this year’s Resident Evil reboot, is pivoting toward science fiction for his next cinematic endeavor.

Titled The Flood, the project is an original screenplay penned by Cregger, who is also set to helm the picture. Despite the title, it bears no relation to the parasitic extraterrestrial threat from the Halo franchise. While concrete plot details remain under wraps, Warner Bros.—reuniting with the director following their collaboration on Weapons—has officially slated the film for an August 11, 2028, premiere. The project also boasts the involvement of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment.

Cregger has previously teased the script’s quality, describing it in a 2025 appearance on The Big Picture podcast as his “favorite thing” and arguably the finest writing of his career. He noted that he drafted the screenplay in the window between Barbarian and Weapons, initially operating under the assumption it would never see the light of day. He credited that sense of creative detachment—a “who gives a shit” mentality—as the secret ingredient to his most authentic work.

Beyond The Flood, Cregger is further expanding his footprint at Warner Bros. with a Weapons prequel titled Gladys. Centered on the origins of the unsettling character played by Amy Madigan, the film is set for a September 8, 2028, release. While Cregger is stepping back from the director’s chair for this installment, he developed the core story and is co-writing the script alongside Zach Shields.

Source: Polygon