Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington reunite in Netflix film ‘Leave The World Behind’
Julia Roberts is reuniting with his “The Pelican Brief” co-star Denzel Washington in the upcoming Netflix thriller “Leave The World Behind.” The film will be adapted from the book of the same title, which will be translated on the big screen by writer and director Sam Esmail, the creator of “Mr. Robot.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story, authored by Rumaan Alam, is about a husband and wife who vacations with their family in Long Island when a blackout suddenly sweeps the city. The rental homeowners also suddenly return much to the surprise of the family. With everything down, including the cell service, the families are “forced into a tense living situation.”
Studios have been bidding for “Leave The World Behind” but it finally came down to three choices: MGM, Apple and Netflix. The latter apparently made the most lucrative offer of over $100 million.
This movie will also reunite Roberts with Esmail after they worked in the Amazon series “Homecoming.” That show is returning for a second season but Roberts has opted out of the series after a one-season appearance.
Roberts and Washington worked together in the 1993 thriller “The Pelican Brief,” based on a novel by John Grisham. The film doubled their production budget at the box office and received much praise from the critics.
Meanwhile, Roberts recently celebrated a big milestone as she marked her 18th wedding anniversary with cinematographer husband Danny Moder. She posted a rare shot of the two of them sharing a kiss on their anniversary.
Roberts and Moder met while filming “The Mexican” in 2000. They got married two years later in New Mexico. The pair have three children together — twins Hazel and Phin, 15, and Henry, 13.
