President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company joined Sam Esmail’s team for Netflix’s upcoming film Leave the World Behind. The film is an adaptation of the original book, which was featured on one of Barack Obama’s suggested reading lists.

Esmail adapted the screenplay from the October 2020 book that garnered critical acclaim as a finalist for the 2020 National Book Awards and received Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Esquire, Time, and more.

The dystopian film boasts an impressive cast list consisting of Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Myha’la Herrold.

“Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week,” the teaser reads. “But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G.H. are an older couple- it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area- with the TV and internet now down and no cell phone service- it’s hard to know what to believe.”

Production for the film is already underway and is expected to release in early 2023.