Obsession star Inde Navarrette has found her next leading role, and it sounds gloriously unhinged. We can’t wait.
Navarrette is attached to star in The Waffle House Index, a new sci-fi thriller picked up by Apple Original Films. She will also serve as an executive producer, marking her first time behind the camera.
Since the indie horror hit Obsession began gaining traction, Navarrette has also been cast in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men film alongside Kit Connor, Sadie Sink and Samara Weaving.
What Is ‘The Waffle House Index’ About?
The new thriller centers on a Waffle House waitress whose already rough night takes a terrifying turn when an armed stranger enters the restaurant during her shift. From there, things somehow get even stranger. The story reportedly includes a massive flood, killer crocodiles, a nuclear explosion, aliens, and a magical bunker hidden beneath the Waffle House.
The title comes from the real-life “Waffle House Index,” an informal way of assessing the severity of a storm based on whether the famously resilient restaurant chain remains fully operational. Green indicates normal service and limited damage, yellow means a restricted menu and possible supply issues, and red means the location has closed because conditions are unsafe.
Inde Navarrette’s Post-‘Obsession’ Rise
The project continues a major run for Navarrette following her breakout performance as Nikki in Curry Barker’s supernatural horror hit Obsession. The movie has reportedly earned more than $505 million worldwide, and Navarrette has since been cast as Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men film.
Before Obsession, she appeared as Sarah Cushing on Superman & Lois and Estela de la Cruz in the final season of 13 Reasons Why.
While discussing the latter role in a 2020 interview with Seventeen, she opened up about being bisexual and relating personally to the show’s queer storyline. She also acknowledged that coming out can be particularly difficult for LGBTQ+ people in some ethnic communities.
“With my family being exposed to it earlier on with my cousin coming out, it wasn’t that big of a deal,” she said of her own experience. “But I know for a fact that I have friends who are queer or lesbian or trans that are in ethnic communities where it’s a lot harder.”
That willingness to take on complicated material also shaped her breakout performance in Obsession. Speaking with Gayety ahead of the film’s release, Navarrette described the role as a creative “pressure cooker” and said director Curry Barker gave her the freedom to fully explore Nikki’s unsettling transformation.
“I really want this to open so many doors for conversations,” she said of the film. “There’s no wrong answer. But just have so much fun.”
Her performance as Nikki made such an impact that the character is now haunting the streets of Universal Studios as part of Halloween Horror Nights.
And with crocodiles, aliens and an apparently magical Waffle House now on the menu, her next film should give audiences plenty more to discuss.
Plan B Entertainment, the production company led by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, is producing Waffle House Index. Andrew Nunnelly wrote the screenplay, which appeared on the 2025 Black List, while The Incomer filmmaker Louis Paxton is set to direct. A release date has not yet been announced.
