Who would you want to ride it out with if the apocalypse were coming? How about Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke? In Leave the World Behind, the new post-apocalyptic thriller from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, all three are stuck together in an Airbnb after the world is struck by a debilitating cyberattack that has left it in a blackout.
The film is based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel, and will be making its world premiere at AFI Fest later this month. Also in the cast are Myha’la Herrold and Kevin Bacon. Ali’s role had previously been for Denzel Washington, but he dropped out prior to filming.
Here’s the synopsis: In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail (MR. ROBOT), Amanda (Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (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. (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 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.
Leave the World Behind will be in select theaters on November 22nd, followed by streaming on Netflix beginning December 8th.
