Netflix officially released its new apocalyptic movie, Leave the World Behind, on December 8, topping the Global Top 10 movies with almost 45 million views in just two weeks. But with the film’s political theme and former US President Barack Obama’s involvement, several conspiracy theories have come out, hinting at what may happen in the future. So, to clear the first African American president’s name, director Sam Esmail reveals Obama’s part in it.
Among the many claims surrounding the film is that the events depicted in Leave the World Behind are a warning from Obama himself. However, in an interview with Collider, Esmail revealed that the former POTUS didn’t have a say in the movie until the script and the story’s major structure were completed.
He said the silly thing about this whole issue is that Obama became a part of the film a couple of months before the production began. So, though he gave notes on the script, the structure and the sequences were already done.
“I would just say they’re pretty wrong in terms of his signaling,” he said. “It had nothing to do with that.”
Esmail added that if there’s one thing that Obama focused on taking part in, it’s how to portray the book’s themes cinematically. He also gave notes on the characters, empathy, and the disaster elements to improve the film.
Leave the World Behind is based on the 2020 bestselling novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, who also serves as the film’s executive producer alongside Barack and Michelle Obama. This book happens to be Obama’s favorite. Hence, he wants to give it justice when it hits the big and small screens.
“It was all in pursuit of making it into a good movie,” Esmail added. “That was his main focus.”
How did Barack Obama get involved in Leave the World Behind?
After leaving the White House, Barack and Michelle Obama started their production company Higher Ground Productions. It then signed a deal with Netflix to produce several content, like docuseries, documentaries, and other features, including Leave the World Behind. He then serves as the film’s executive producer with his wife, and their involvement instantly resulted in different conspiracy theories.
The film features how heavily the world has relied on technology today and shows what may happen if the hackers get control of it. Some believe it’s trying to warn about society’s dependence on technology and the possible repercussions if it gets attacked.
Apocalyptic films aren’t new today, and several movies and series have the same theme and send similar messages. So, it just happens that Leave the World Behind is executively produced by the Obamas, but the director’s comments have quickly debunked these conspiracy theories. The film is now available to stream on Netflix.
