Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington are set to star in Netflix thriller Leave The World Behind based on Rumaan Alam’s upcoming novel. The film will be adapted and directed by Sam Esmail, creator of Mr. Robot and Homecoming.This will be the first time Roberts and Washington reunite after their 1993 film The Pelican Brief.
The story revolves around two families during an outing at the remote corner of Long Island. Panic ensues after the city goes into a blackout and network connections to the outside world are lost. Esmail had already worked with Roberts in Homecoming.
The film will be produced by Esmail with his producing partner Chad Hamilton and their Esmail Corp, Roberts and her Red Om Films, and Washington. It is said that several studios including Netflix, Apple and MGM bid for the film and Netflix won the bid with over $100 million.