President Obama’s Involvement In Leave The World Behind Clarified By Director

Director Sam Esmail clarifies President Barack Obama’s involvement in his recently released apocalyptic psychological thriller Leave the World Behind. Based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name, Leave the World Behind follows two separate families who are suddenly caught in the middle of an apocalyptic blackout and must do everything within their power to survive. The thriller, which featured talented cast members like Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon, Myha’la, and Ethan Hawke, has been shrouded in various conspiracy theories since its release, more so because of the Obamas’ role in the movie.

In a recent interview with Collider, Esmail clarified President Obama’s involvement in his recently released thriller. The director acknowledged the different conspiracy theories that have been circulating following the release of Leave the World Behind and stated that the former President’s input came after the script and major structure of the story had already been formulated and, as such, the various theories that are being peddled are untrue. Read his full comments below:

I think the silly thing about the whole thing is President Obama really came on a couple of months before we started shooting, so the script had basically been written and done. He obviously gave notes on the script, but the bones of the story and the sequences were already written. I would just say they’re pretty wrong in terms of his signaling. It had nothing to do with that.

Because President Obama is such a movie lover, he really focused his notes on trying to cinematically portray what was in the book in a really interesting way. The book was on his reading list, it’s one of his favorites, and he really wanted to do justice by the book and this theme about mistrust and this being a cautionary tale about what could happen if we don’t have that community or bond that holds us together. So he really gave notes with regards to character, empathy, and also the disaster elements. It was really across the board. And again, it was all in pursuit of making it into a good movie. That was his main focus.

The Leave The World Behind Conspiracy Theory Explained

Months after leaving the White House, President Obama and his wife Michelle started a production company called Higher Ground Productions. In the year it was founded, the production company signed a deal with Netflix to produce docu-series, documentaries, and features for the service, and Esmail’s thriller Leave the World Behind is the latest production to emerge from the multi-year collaboration.

Leave the World Behind begins with a family of four traveling to a vacation rental on Long Island. On their way there, things suddenly begin to go south when they experience a blackout, and they run into a suspicious family whom they must work with in order to survive. The movie specifically focuses on the world’s heavy reliance on technology and the possibility of what could happen if hackers get control of all these modern technologies.

Following the release of Leave the World Behind, some viewers began to speculate about the movie’s true message, especially because of the Obamas’ involvement. A portion were of the opinion that the movie is a precursor of what’s to come, while others believed that the Obamas are sending out a warning regarding society’s dependence on technology and how that can be taken advantage of. While these theories have been running for weeks, Esmail’s comments about the Obamas’ involvement debunks those theories and prove they are nothing but a farce.