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Netflix’s Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Herrold, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon, and others, has been getting appreciated by audiences all over, and it has been produced by former US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama. But director Sam Esmail reveals the president’s connection was more profound than just being a producer on this Netflix thriller.
The film is based on a novel by Rumaan Alam of the same name. It came out in 2020. Sam Esmail directs the movie about a family’s getaway in a fancy rental house. Things change soon; they face a cyberattack when two strangers knock at their door. The director is known for his work, Mr Robot, which has been widely appreciated and critically acclaimed. Meanwhile, Barack and Michelle ventured into film productions with Higher Ground Productions.
Leave the World Behind was bought by Netflix around 2020, and in 2022, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company came on board for the film. The Obama family helped with the film’s finances, and the President provided notes on the movie’s script. The director, Sam Esmail, told The Hollywood Reporter that he asked Obama for advice while writing the script. Sam revealed that Barack is a fan of the book and gave insights on the characters or the movie’s plot where he thought things were more unlikely than reality. As per Screen Rant, Obama also gave notes on the film’s characters and the overall empathy it should have while portraying them.
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