Netflix Original ‘Leave The World Behind’ With Julia Roberts, What We Know

This Netflix Original is set to grow the library of feature films, starring Oscar winners while adapting famous novels. Leave the World Behind is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam. Meanwhile, the movie is set to star two Oscar winners, Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. Read on to find out more about this exciting project.

Netflix Original movie Leave the World Behind

This new Netflix Original movie is based on Rumaan Alam’s novel, Leave the World Behind, which was published in October 2020. The novel was listed as one of Barack Obama’s Summer Favorites and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Awards. The Washington Post, Time, Esquire, NPR, Elle and more have named it a Best Book of the Year.

This means before the movie even starts to film, we already know it is based on a great story. In fact, it was a huge item in 2020 during a bidding war, won by Netflix against MGM and other streaming services.

The movie will star two Oscar-winning actors, Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. Roberts will also be a producer of the movie through her Red Om Films banner, along with Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton through Esmail Corp. Esmail (Mr. Robot) will also write the screenplay.

Plot of the upcoming Netflix movie

Leave the World Behind tells the story of Amanda and Clay, who are on vacation with their teenage children. Suddenly, their vacation is interrupted by the arrival of the couple who own their rental. The middle-aged couple has fled an unprecedented blackout in the city.

When the landline, along with the Internet, television and radio stop working, the families have no way to find out what is happening. Strange sonic booms suddenly shatter the peace of the countryside, leading animals to start to migrate in strange ways. Due to this, the mental and physical health of both families starts to disintegrate.

The owners of the rental are upscale and Black, while the renters are upscale and White. This causes the issues of race to become distractions to the more alarming things happening all around them.

Cast of Netflix Original film Leave the World Behind

So far, and as mentioned above, the cast will be led by Oscar-winning actors Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. Roberts plays the mother of the family renting the house. Ali took over the role after Denzel Washington dropped out and will play the homeowner.

As noted by What’s on Netflix, production dates are so far unknown. Ali is currently committed to filming Blade for Disney, so it is unknown when this movie is likely to start. As for a release date for Leave the World Behind, there are no hints as yet, but it is likely to premiere sometime between late 2022 and mid-2023.

Readers, does the sound of the Netflix Original movie intrigue you? Have any of you read the original book, Leave the World Behind? Let us know by dropping a comment below.