The psychological thriller “Leave The World Behind” is one of the most anticipated Netflix films of the year. Now there are first pictures of Julia Roberts and her co-stars, as well as script tips from Barack Obama!
After a much-discussed bidding war, Netflix secured the rights to the thriller “Leave The World Behind” based on the hit novel by Rumaan Alam in 2020 and was able to present a top cast around Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold shortly afterwards. This automatically made the disaster film one of the most anticipated films of the streaming year.
Now there are first images to see – and the lurking disaster is reflected in the faces of the cast: Julia Roberts screams into the forest, Mahershala Ali wanders around on a beach, desperate looks meet both each other and the unseen… The focus here is on the star-studded characters to carry the tension for director and screenwriter Sam Esmail.
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It was especially important to the “Mr. Robot” creator that they act particularly credibly in a crisis situation – and so he sought advice from someone who knows a lot about global crisis situations…
“LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND”-DIRECTOR GOT TIPS FROM EX-PRESIDENT OBAMA
As Sam Esmail told Vanity Fair, he sent his draft script to none other than former United States President Barack Obama and received largely positive comments back:
“I write from a fictional point of view and of course try to write as true to reality as possible, but [probably still] exaggerate and dramatise a lot. And to hear an ex-president say that I’m [only] wrong about a few details…. I thought there was a lot more!”
The former US president joined the project last year with his wife Michelle Obama and their joint production company Higher Ground (with which they have already realised several Netflix documentaries) as executive producers. As Esmail points out, the two are big fans of the novel: “[Barack Obama] had a lot of comments about the characters and the empathy we would have for them. […] He made his comments as a fan of the book, and he just wanted to see a really good film adaptation. “
AFTER “BIRD BOX” NEW THRILLER SUCCESS FOR NETFLIX?
With “Leave The World Behind”, Netflix wants to follow up on end-times thriller hits like “Bird Box”, which is considered one of the most successful in-house productions ever for the streaming service. The signs that this could succeed are more than good.
The film focuses on the encounter between a white and a black family who are crammed into a very small space during an increasingly rampant supernatural catastrophe. In the process, interpersonal conflicts unfold, juxtaposed with the uncertainty knocking from outside.
After the first images, we can surely expect a first trailer soon. The disaster thriller is set to premiere at AFI Fest in Los Angeles at the end of October and will finally be available to watch on Netflix from 8 December 2023.
