Director Sam Esmail of Mr. Robot fame discussed the involvement of former U.S. President Barack Obama in the production of his upcoming apocalypse thriller on Netflix starring Julia Roberts.

The director revealed what impact the ex-president left on him when he received his notes.

Leave The World Behind
Any individual be it acclaimed director Sam Esmail would panic a bit if they receive notes from a former president like Barack Obama. The director of the Netflix film revealed the notes he received while working on his upcoming thriller and the impact it had on him.

Sam Esmail Unveils Barack Obama’s Notes For Upcoming Movie Starring Julia Roberts
Barack Obama

The upcoming Sam Esmail film on Netflix Leave the World Behind is an unsettling apocalypse thriller executive produced by former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. This movie will explore an uncomfortable scenario where society is breaking down and the cause remains uncertain.

Obama has played a significant part in shaping Esmail’s project as it’s produced under the banner of Obama’s higher ground productions. In an interview, the director disclosed the personal notes he received from the former president and how it impacted him. Sam Esmail told Vanity Fair:

“I am writing what I think is fiction, for the most part, I’m trying to keep it as true to life as possible, but I’m exaggerating and dramatizing. And to hear an ex-president say you’re off by a few details…I thought I was off by a lot! The fact that he said that scared the f–k out of me.”
Barack Obama provided script notes for the movie which were indeed helpful in the production of Leave the World Behind as the director initially pushed certain aspects of the script further than they were in the final film. Obama’s real-world experience helped Esmail ground the script by offering perceptions on how events should realistically unfold.

The director was surprised by the ex-president’s attention to detail and appreciated his efforts. Obama in his script notes also mentioned focusing on characters and empathy that the audience should feel while watching the film. As a fan of the book by Rumaan Alam and a movie enthusiast, the former president aimed to secure the project’s quality.

Leave The World Behind Will Have a Different Approach to Disaster Genre

Leave the World Behind
The upcoming Netflix film features A-list actors like Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, and Mahershala Ali in leading roles who are caught in a situation where phones, the internet, and media networks will stop working including strange events and whispers among the survivors in the society will create a disastrous atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke are paired as a couple who take their children away as the world is gradually falling apart.

The film will focus on the characters’ struggles to survive in the odd conditions and how everyone might turn on each other in desperate situations.

Sam Esmail in the same interview revealed that Leave the World Behind differs from the traditional disaster films and has a unique approach to the genre. It will showcase the reactions of every character to the crisis and the unknown fear surrounding the catastrophe is central to the narrative.