Barack Obama "scared the fuck out of" writer-director Sam Esmail when the former US president gave him notes on his upcoming disaster movie.
While adapting Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel Leave the World Behind to screen, Esmail got some unexpected advice from Obama, who produced the film alongside his wife Michelle through their Higher Ground Productions company. Obama had previously included the book on his 2021 summer reading list, and is said to have been personally invested in Esmail's big screen take...
"In the original drafts of the script, I definitely pushed things a lot farther than they were in the film, and President Obama, having the experience he does have, was able to ground me a little bit on how things might unfold in reality," Esmail recently told Vanity Fair about the feedback he received. "I am writing what I think is fiction, for the most part, I'm trying to keep it as true to life as possible, but I'm exaggerating and dramatizing. And to hear an ex-president say you're off by a few details…I thought I was off by a lot! The fact that he said that scared the fuck out of me."
Starring Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Julia Roberts, who previously collaborated with Esmail on his Prime Video series Homecoming, the film centers on a couple as they try to navigate an impending apocalyptic event while vacationing in Long Island. Hawke and Roberts play Amanda and Clay, while Ali brings G.H., the owner of the home they're renting to life. As Earth comes under threat, the three seek refuge with G.H.'s daughter Ruth (Myha'la Herrold), and are forced to trust one another ahead of the world potentially ending.
Leave the World Behind releases on Netflix on December 8. While we wait, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way throughout 2023 and beyond.
