Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington to Star in Netflix Thriller 'Leave The World Behind'
'Mr. Robot' creator Sam Esmail will write and direct the adaptation of the upcoming book.
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Netflix has a come out on top of a hot bidding war that will see Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington reunite for the first time since 1993’s The Pelican Brief.
The streaming giant has landed Leave the World Behind, an upcoming novel by Rumaan Alam, with Sam Esmail, the creator of Mr. Robot and Homecoming, set to write the adaptation and direct it. Roberts and Washington are attached to star.
The novel will be published this fall by HarperCollins imprint Ecco. It follows a husband and wife as they head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation with their teenage son and daughter. When the owners of the rental return in a panic one night after they say a sudden blackout has swept through the city, the couple aren't sure what to believe. With the TV and internet down and no cell service, the two families are forced into a tense living situation. Themes dealing with race, class, and parenthood are tackled.
Esmail had a strong relationship with Roberts after working together on series Homecoming. And Roberts, once piqued, sent the book to Washington.
Several major studio and streamers put in bids for the package, with it coming down to Netflix, Apple and MGM, each of which have spent the past several weeks vying for splashy packages, including Will Smith starrer Emancipation and George Miller's latest Three Thousand Years of Longing.
Netflix ultimately prevailed for Leave The World Behind, with sources saying that the deal is approaching the financial numbers in the range similar to Apple’s deal for Emancipation, which was over $100 million.
Esmail will produce with his producing partner Chad Hamilton and their Esmail Corp. Robert will produce with her Red Om Films while Washington will also act as producer.
Roberts is repped CAA and Hirsch Wallerstein while Washington is repped by WME. Esmail is repped by CAA and McKuin Frankel. Alam is repped by CAA and The Book Group.
Julia Roberts as Amanda
Mahershala Ali as George "G.H." Washington
Ethan Hawke as Clay
Myha'la Herrold as Ruth Washington
Charlie Evans as Archie
Kevin Bacon as Danny
Farrah Mackenzie as Rosie
Loved Sam Esmail’s work so hoping for the best with this one, granted Netflix has the tendency to suck the life out of great peoples work more times than not.
I'm iffy on this. I saw an article about it a few days ago, before the trailer was released, and look up the plot of the novel online. I have mixed feelings about it at best.
The TV ad shown during the World Series a few minutes ago felt so Shymalan-esque to me (which is not a negative). I've seen nothing else about the plot of this film, but I'm in at Ethan.
Forgot this was coming out this week. Haven’t watched it yet but I’m a fan of Julia Roberts and think she’s been killing it in this current part of her career. She was particularly excellent in the mini-series she did with Sam Esmail (who also directed this film) called Homecoming. I haven’t seen Mr. Robot (which Esmail is most known for). I’m also a fan of Ethan Hawke and look forward to seeing him share the screen with Roberts.
The level of praise for this seems to vary, but Mark Kermode was effusive about it:
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Leave the World Behind (2023)
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