Sam Esmail captivated viewers with his TV series Mr. Robot and now he hopes to get your attention again with his new movie, the thriller Leave the World Behind. To help him he has assembled an acclaimed ensemble of actors that include Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali.
This Netflix original movie is inspired by a National Book Award-nominated novel from Rumaan Alam and deals with cyber threats and how they could bring about apocalyptic type of events.
Intrigued? Here is everything that you need to know about Leave the World Behind.
How to watch Leave the World Behind
Leave the World Behind is now available to stream worldwide on Netflix. Of course in order to watch the movie you need to have a Netflix subscription.
Leave the World Behind plot
Adapted from Alam's book of the same name, here is the official synopsis for Leave the World Behind, written by Sam Esmail:
"In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail, Amanda and her husband Clay, rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie and Rose. Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. and his daughter Ruth — 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 cast
A star-studded trio leads the cast of Leave the World Behind, headlined by Julia Roberts as Amanda. The Oscar-winning actress (for Erin Brockovich) has appeared only sparingly in movies in the last few years, with 2022's Ticket to Paradise her most recent, but before that it was 2018's Ben Is Back. She also has done some high profile TV roles in recent years, including the Prime Video series Homecoming and the Starz miniseries Gaslit.
Playing Amanda's husband Clay in the movie is Ethan Hawke. In addition to numerous acting roles that have included the Before trilogy, Training Day, Boyhood (Oscar nominated for the last two) and more recent projects like The Northman, Moon Knight and Raymond & Ray, Hawke is also a writer, director and producer. His work behind the scenes have included The Last Movie Stars documentary and the upcoming movie Wildcat, starring his daughter Maya Hawke.
Another Oscar vet is also part of the cast in Mahershala Ali. The two-time Oscar winner (Moonlight and Green Book) plays G.H., the father who arrives at the vacation home bringing news of the dangerous cyber attack. Ali is also known for his roles in House of Cards, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Luke Cage, Hidden Figures and, upcoming, as the MCU's Blade.
Playing the children of these characters are Myha'la Herrold (Dumb Money, Industry) as G.H.'s daughter Ruth, and Charlie Evans (Everything's Gonna Be Okay) and Farrah Mackenzie (United States of Al, Utopia) as Amanda and Clay's kids, Archie and Rose.
Also in the cast is another big name: City on a Hill and Footloose star Kevin Bacon is tapped to play the role of Danny.
Leave the World Behind trailer
Is it the end of the world? Get a first look at Leave the World Behind trailer directly below:
You can also watch a teaser trailer for the movie right here:
Just days before it's release, Netflix released this final trailer for Leave the World Behind, which you can watch below:
Leave the World Behind reviews
Critics have weight in on Leave the World Behind, with the movie being "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with an overall score of 75% as of December 8.
Sam Esmail movies
Sam Esmail has definitely been more involved in the world of TV than he has movies throughout this career. In addition to Mr. Robot, he was a writer and executive producer on Homecoming and The Resort, as well as solely an executive producer Angelyne and Gaslit.
As far as movies, he has one movie prior to Leave the World Behind, with him writing and directing the 2014 movie Comet.
