Inde Navarrette to Lead Apple's 'The Waffle House Index'
Inde Navarrette, recently cast as Rogue in the upcoming X-Men film, will star in 'The Waffle House Index' for Apple Original Films. Plan B is producing, with Louis Paxton directing from a script by Andrew Nunnelly that made the 2025 Black List. The story follows a woman working the night shift at a Waffle House as a storm approaches.
Navarrette’s casting follows her recent X-Men role as Rogue, signaling a rapid rise in high-profile genre and prestige projects. The film’s script by Andrew Nunnelly earned a spot on the 2025 Black List, an industry recognition for unproduced screenplays, which likely helped attract Apple and Plan B. Louis Paxton, attached to direct, brings a fresh voice to the project. The story’s premise—using the real FEMA metric that measures storm severity by whether Waffle House stays open—anchors a character-driven night-shift drama. Apple’s acquisition underscores its continued investment in star-driven, original storytelling.
This project may resonate with audiences who appreciate everyday resilience during disasters, framing a familiar service worker as a quiet hero. The Waffle House Index concept could spark broader conversation about how communities rely on local businesses in crises. Navarrette’s dual visibility in superhero and indie-adjacent films may broaden her appeal, potentially drawing younger viewers to Apple’s platform. However, its impact depends on execution—whether the film balances human drama with the storm’s threat without trivializing real-world emergency response.