Julia Roberts is making her Netflix debut! The actress is set to star opposite Ethan Hawke in the upcoming Barack and Michelle Obama-produced apocalyptic Netflix original film Leave the World Behind, with the streamer dropping the first trailer for the movie this week ahead of its debut in select theaters next month.
Based on the National Book Award-nominated novel by Rumaan Alam of the same name and written and directed by Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot, Metropolis), the psychological thriller stars Roberts and Hawke as married couple Amanda and Clay, who book a weekend getaway with their children. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when a massive cyberattack begins, upending the world.
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“In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), Amanda (Academy Award winner Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers – G.H. (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) – arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs,” the official synopsis reads. “The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.”
Along with Roberts and Hawke, the movie also stars Mahershala Ali, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon. The film marks the first fictional movie executive produced by the Obamas’ banner Higher Ground Productions, which in the past has only put out children’s programs, documentaries, and historical dramas. The film is produced by Esmail Corp, Red Om Films.
“We’re grappling with ‘What does it mean?’ or ‘What is causing this? Is it going to hit me? Is it going to hit my family? And how are we going to protect ourselves from that?’” Esmail told Vanity Fair of the movie. “Having gone through the pandemic, and then the take-your-pick of any number of other disaster-related events like climate change, and the heat wave that we just experienced over the summer, it is the unknown-and the fear of it-that we try to capture in this film.”
Leave the World Behind is set to make its world premiere on Oct. 25 as AFI Fest’s opening-night pic before arriving in select theaters Nov. 22. The film will then make its way to Netflix on Dec. 8.
