A new crisis movie starring Julia Roberts had a representative in the script: former President Barack Obama.
Based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel, Leave the World Behind follows a couple, played by Roberts and Ethan Hawke, who embark on a vacation on Long Island just before the apocalypse hits. Robot author Sam Esmail wrote and directed the film for Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, which has produced award-winning documentaries like American Factory and vintage dramas like the upcoming Rustin.
Esmail spoke with Vanity Fair about the former president’s involvement in the creative process. “In the original versions of the script, I definitely pushed things a lot further than in the movie, and President Obama, enjoying what he has, able to give me a little bit of attitude about how things could play out in reality. “Esmail explained.
“I write what I think is fiction, for the most part, I try to make it as true to the truth as possible, but I exaggerate and dramatize. And to hear a former president say you’re leaving some details. . . I think I’m far away! The fact that he said that scared me,” Esmail said.
The filmmaker also said Obama felt certain elements of Esmail’s plot were too pessimistic, which “reassured” the director that his darkest nightmares weren’t particularly likely.
Obama’s indications go beyond mere logistics. Since including the source novel in his list of e-book recommendations for 2021, he also had ideas about how the curtains could be moved to the cinema. He had a lot of notes about the characters and empathy we would have for them,” Esmail continued. “I have to say that he is a great cinephile and that he was not just giving notes about things related to his past. I was giving notes as an e-book fan and I wanted to watch a smart movie. “
Leave the World Behind hits theaters on November 22 and Netflix on December 8.
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