Mahershala Ali Cast Opposite Julia Roberts In Sam Esmail’s Thriller ‘Leave the World Behind’
Deadline is reporting that 2-Time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali is set to join Julia Roberts in the Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind with Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail on board to direct and adapt the script.
Denzel Washington was initially cast in the role that Ali has.
Based on Rumaan Alam’s novel, the film, Leave the World Behind is a story about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong.
Amanda and Clay’s aspirational vacation with their teenage children is interrupted by the arrival of a middle aged couple who own the holiday home and who have fled an unprecedented blackout in the city. When the internet, television and radio stop working, as does the landline, they have no way of finding out what is happening. As strange sonic booms shatter the peace of the countryside, and animals start to migrate in strange ways, the physical and mental health of the families begins to disintegrate. The renters are upscale and White; the owners are upscale and Black. The issues of race and clash become distractions to the more alarming things are happening all around them.
Roberts will play the mother of the family that rents the house. Washington will play the homeowner..
The film will be produced by Roberts through her Red Om Films banner and Esmail and Chad Hamilton through Esmail Corp. Ruman Alam will exec produce with Red Om’s Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill will also be involved in a producorial capacity.
A production start date is still unknown at this time.