©Courtesy of the film, “Joy”

Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence is scheduled to be in New Line Cinema’s upcoming sci-fi thriller film “The Flood,” directed by Zach Cregger, the creator of “Weapons” and “Barbarian.”

Famously established by Netflix, who sought to recruit Cregger to direct but the pair ended in an impasse over the streamer’s desire for a theatrical release versus Cregger’s preference for a solid one.

The film, along with Cregger, eventually went to Warner Bros Pictures, where he chose to focus on “Weapons” rather than the “Gladys” spin-off, which he’s just producing.

[tf-tv]

Warner Bros Motion Picture chairs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy say in a statement: “Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most gifted and compelling actors working today, and we are thrilled to have her at the center of Zach’s bold and wholly original vision for The Flood. Following our extraordinary experience together on Weapons, we could not be more excited to reunite with Zach and the team at Vertigo, as well as Amblin to bring this ambitious film to audiences around the world.”

“The Flood” traces the journey of a deep-space expedition aboard the spacecraft Spiritus Mundi. They intercept an unusual, persistent signal emanating from a distant planet and embark on a probe – only to uncover a baffling extraterrestrial relic that is distorting time, space, and the crew’s psyche.

Cregger penned the script for the movie in a mere five days. Steven Spielberg will oversee production of the film, set for release on August 11, 2028. The announcement comes with news that Cregger’s “Resident Evil” has recently exceeded $200 million in worldwide box office and is expected to surpass “Weapons” for his highest-grossing film.