Higher Ground, the production company founded by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, has signed on to Netflix’s adaptation of author Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind, which stars Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali.
Sam Esmail, the creator of Mr. Robot and Homecoming, wrote and directed the adaptation, which also stars Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold.
The novel, which was published by HarperCollins in October 2020, follows a husband and wife as they head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation with their teenage son and daughter. When the owners of the rental return in a panic one night after they say a sudden blackout has swept through the city, the couple aren’t sure what to believe. With the TV and Internet down and no cell service, the two families are forced into a tense living situation. Themes dealing with race, class and parenthood are tackled.
Esmail and Chad Hamilton will produce through Esmail Corp, with Roberts, Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill producing through Red Om Films. Higher Ground’s Tonia Davis will exec produce, with Alam and Esmail Corp’s Nick Krishnamurthy.
Higher Ground, which is based at Netflix, previously partnered with the streamer on the feature drama Worth. Upcoming projects include Rustin, a feature film that tells the story of civil rights and gay rights activist Bayard Rustin, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo, and the feature documentary Descendant, which was picked up out of the Sundance Film Festival.
