Denzel Washington's New "Unconventional" Netflix Heist Thriller Is A Perfect Follow-Up To His 2006 Hit

Published Aug 15, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT

This year, Pattinson starred in THREE movies with Zendaya: The Drama, The Odyssey, and the upcoming Dune: Part Three. The Odyssey has already become one of the biggest hits of the year, while The Drama received critical acclaim. Pattinson also has Primetime from A24 landing in September, where he plays a fictional version of To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen.

Pattinson was to round off an incredible year with both the third Dune and Here Comes the Flood, but the latter- which also stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Danai Gurira - has been pushed to 2027. Despite the starry cast, there isn't much known about the movie yet either. The official plot reads "A bank guard, a teller, and a master thief get caught in a deadly game of cons and double crosses," while the narrative is said to play out in an "unconventional" and non-linear manner.

Denzel Washington's Here Comes The Flood Sounds Similar To Inside Man

Looking at Here Comes the Flood's synopsis, it doesn't sound that far off from Washington's 2006 gem Inside Man. This Spike Lee movie is also a heist thriller where Washington's detective faces off with a master thief, played by Clive Owen. It's much more complicated than a standard heist thriller, however, while Inside Man's official synopsis isn't that far apart from Here Comes the Flood: "A police detective, a bank robber and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation."

Inside Man was designed to look like a crime thriller in the same vein as Heat, but it subverts expectations at every turn. That's part of the fun of this Spike Lee joint, which takes great delight in overturning genre clichés while gradually revealing the real story. It feels like Here Comes the Flood is designed to do the same thing, taking a genre audiences are familiar with but playing with it in inventive ways.

Both movies also had killer ensembles, with Inside Man featuring Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor and many more. Despite being a hit, Lee couldn't get a planned sequel off the ground; with Here Comes the Flood, it feels like fans of Washington's 2006 film will finally get a spiritual successor.

Here Comes The Flood Is One Of Washington's Most Exciting Movies In Years

Image courtesy of Everett Collection

Washington has kept busy in the past decade, but his output has been spotty in terms of quality. The Equalizer sequels are, of course, good fun, but the long-anticipated Gladiator II - where Washington played the main antagonist - was a letdown. His reunion with Spike Lee for Highest 2 Lowest wasn't their finest hour either. On paper, Here Comes to Flood is one of the most exciting projects Denzel has attached himself to in years.

This Netflix original has put together an amazing cast and an acclaimed filmmaker in Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Two Popes). It reads like the film will be pulling some Pulp Fiction-style timeline trickery with the way the plot unfolds, which only makes it sound more compelling. Now, all the streamer has to do is release a trailer to push anticipation over the edge.

Here Comes The Flood Can Make Up For Denzel Washington's Other Netflix Movie Not Happening

If Here Comes the Flood is a hit, that might take the sting out of Netflix seemingly canning their other major Denzel Washington project, Hannibal. This was set to reunite the star with his Training Day and Equalizer helmer Antoine Fuqua, with Washington playing the famed Carthaginian general, Hannibal

Despite locations already being scouted, the streamer halted this historical epic over concerns about its swelling budget. While there had been hopes the budget issues could be worked out, rumors suggest that Netflix and producers couldn't come to terms over Hannibal, and the film is, in effect, dead. Who knows, if Here Comes the Flood is a runaway success, maybe Hannibal will get a new lease of life on the streamer?

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  Here Comes the Flood

  Director Fernando Meirelles

  Writers Simon Kinberg

  Producers Samson Mucke, Audrey Chon, Fernando Meirelles

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  Inside Man

  Release Date March 24, 2006

  Runtime 129 minutes

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    Clive Owen

    Dalton Russell