Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington to star in Leave the World Behind drama for Netflix
Netflix has won the war for the rights to Rumaan Alam's upcoming novel Leave the World Behind, with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington set to star.
The feature film adaptation will be directed and written by Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot, Homecoming). Roberts, Washington, Esmail, and Chad Hamilton will also serve as producers with author Alam serving as executive producer.
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According to the official synopsis, Alam's third novel is a "magnetic story about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong." Described as "suspenseful and provocative," the book explores the complexities of parenthood, race, and class, as well as "how our closest bonds are reshaped — and unexpected new ones are forged — in moments of crisis."
Washington and Roberts previously worked together on the 1993 film The Pelican Brief. Leave the World Behind will also reunite Roberts and Esmail, who previously worked together on the first season of Amazon's Homecoming.
The novel version of Leave the World Behind will be published in October.
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