Ethan Hawke joins Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali in thriller Leave The World Behind

Ethan Hawke is joining the cast of Leave The World Behind, a new Netflix movie based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel, according to Deadline. Hawke joins previously announced cast members Mahershala Ali and Julia Roberts. The movie will be written and directed by Sam Esmail, of Mr. Robot fame. He previously worked with Roberts on Homecoming for Prime TV.

The novel tells the story of two families, one Black and one white, who are forced together over one weekend vacation. The book was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award and made many best book of 2020 lists. Myha’la Herrold from HBO’s Industry also joins the cast as Ali’s daughter, while Kiera Armstrong (American Horror Story: Double Feature) and Charlie Evans have signed on to play Hawke and Roberts’ kids.

This movie joins a full plate for Hawke. He’ll star alongside Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight for Disney+, which will start streaming March 30. In April, he stars with Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, and Anya Taylor Joy in Robert Eggers’ The Northman. He’ll also appear in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2, though in December he claimed his involvement is “just a cameo.”

Meanwhile, Esmail is producing a dark comedy series for Peacock called The Resort, created by Palm Springs writer Andy Siara. Peacock said that show will feature “an unsolved crime investigation with an exploration of marriage in a tropical location,” which might feel a little familiar.

Roberts also has quite a few projects lined up. She was filming the Ol Parker-directed romantic comedy Ticket To Paradise in Australia, which will also star George Clooney; production was recently halted due to a COVID-19 outbreak. She’ll also star in Gaslit, a drama about the Watergate scandal, for Starz.