Denzel and Julia will reunite onscreen for first time since 1993

Fans who have been hoping that Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington would one day work together again after co-starring in the 1993 flick The Pelican Brief are finally seeing their dream come true. And it’s all thanks to Sam Esmail, a.k.a. the guy behind Homecoming and Mr. Robot.According to Variety the A-Listers are teaming up for a drama called Leave the World Behind, a project based on the upcoming book by author Rumaan Alam. The project revolves around a family trying to take a relaxing vacation at a home in Long Island, but their plans are interrupted when the homeowners return and claim there’s a major blackout in the city. It all culminates in an intense living situation for a long weekend gone wrong. According to the publication, parenthood, race and class are just some of the themes that the book and movie will explore.Add in the fact that this one will be directed by Esmail (who is also adapting the screenplay), and this should be a movie full of beautiful and interesting camera angles, not to mention major twists. Roberts is probably used to the creative’s unique shooting style by now, having starred in the first season of Homecoming. But this will be the first time Washington and Esmail are teaming up.Apparently all of Hollywood was excited by the potential too. Deadline reports that Netflix beat out Apple and MGM in what’s supposed to be one heck of a deal to nab rights to the movie (there were supposedly 10 overall offers from studios and streamers). In fact, the publication is comparing it to the $120 million deal Apple made to get the rights for the Antoine Fuqua-Will Smith drama Emancipation, which is the biggest film festival acquisition deal in film history.Washington and Roberts were basically babies when they co-starred in The Pelican Brief, the film based on John Grisham’s best-selling novel. Roberts played the young law student who wrote a brief that correctly identified the assassins behind the murder of two supreme court judges, and Washington played the investigative journalist that she teamed up with in order to get the story out. The movie made $195 million worldwide when it was released, which isn’t too shabby when you consider the $45 million production budget. Sam Shepard, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Tony Goldwyn and John Heard also starred.In addition to starring in Leave the World Behind, both Roberts and Washington are producing. Although the pair haven’t starred in anything together since Pelican Brief, it’s clear that they developed a lifelong friendship in making that film. According to People, Roberts was on hand when Washington was honoured with the American Film Institute’s lifetime achievement award in 2019, where she sat next to his wife, Pauletta, during the ceremony.“I met Denzel Washington over half of my life ago,” Roberts said when it was her turn to pay tribute. “Working with Denzel, I had really never seen anything like it, honestly. It was like working as I imagined, with The Beatles. People screaming, women fainting in the street. I am amazed that I was never trampled in the crowds,” she continued.“But what I remember so well was meeting Pauletta and all your kids and seeing how you valued your family, your home life above all else,” she revealed. “I know it takes a lot of hard work but you and Pauletta made it look like a dream to me, and now I live my life with those same values. The two of you inspired me then and continue to inspire me to this day.”[video_embed id='1997208']BEFORE YOU GO: This lawn cube provides a quiet place to work, sleep or exercise [/video_embed]