Leave the World Behind 2 is possible. But Netflix would have to overcome a few obstacles to continue the sci-fi thriller. We have the solution
Leave the World Behind has dominated the Netflix Top 10 for a week now. Sam Esmail’s sci-fi disaster movie has reached a huge audience – and left them with a lot of questions. The story ends open-ended, but does that mean Leave the World Behind Part 2 is coming? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The movie itself is complete. However, the past has shown that Netflix won’t let that stop them.
We explain what the possibilities are for a Leave the World Behind sequel
What is known about Leave the World Behind Part 2 and what speaks against it
Leave the World Behind is about the Sandford family. They go on a spontaneous vacation to a beach area near New York. The Airbnb idyll is disturbed by G. H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la Herrold). They pretend to be the actual occupants of the house that Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) has rented. The two families have to come to an arrangement. Then the internet goes down, the TV doesn’t work and a government announcement declares a national state of emergency.
(The children in Leave the World Behind)
At first glance, there is little to suggest that Netflix will get more out of the Leave the World Behind story:
Rumaan Alam penned the Leave the World Behind book, which was published in 2020. No sequel has yet been released and nothing of the sort is being discussed
Director Sam Esmail has also not yet commented on any sequel plans. Just like Rumaan Alam’s original, he deliberately left his film open-ended
Nor are there any signs that Netflix is planning some kind of Leave the World Behind universe
However, the film has only been on the platform for a week. The longer Netflix audiences stay interested in Leave the World Behind, the more Netflix will think about how to cannibalize the world
Nevertheless, the likelihood of a direct sequel to Leave the World Behind is close to zero. A follow-up story that answers unanswered questions would satisfy the audience’s needs, but would contradict the vision of the director and the book’s author. Leave the World Behind draws its special atmosphere and tension from the expectation of catastrophe – and not its fulfillment. There are enough post-apocalyptic films out there.
But that’s not the end of the options. Just this year, Netflix proved its creativity in exploiting successful sci-fi stories.
The children in Leave the World Behind
Leave the World Behind Part 2: Netflix has the perfect role model as of this year and this is what the movie could look like
The sci-fi horror Bird Box with Sandra Bullock was the most successful Netflix film for a long time and is still in 4th place on the leaderboard with 157 million views (Leave the World Behind was viewed 41 million times after one week). Bird Box is also based on a book and a sequel was even released*. But Netflix has not filmed it (yet). Instead, the spin-off Bird Box Barcelona moved the scenario to Spain: In the summer of 2023, we were allowed to find out how people in Catalonia blindfold themselves
(The adults in Leave the World Behind)
Back to Leave the World Behind: In the Julia Roberts film, we see how the rural area around the metropolis of New York is plunged into chaos. What happens in parallel in other parts of the world, or even just the USA, remains a mystery. So how about Leave the World Behind Latvia? Or, if it works without alliteration, Leave the World Behind Spain/England/Germany?
