Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington Reunite 27 Years After The Pelican Brief for New Netflix Movie

Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts are set to reunite onscreen.

The actors, who starred together in the 1993 film The Pelican Brief, will next star in the Netflix adaptation of Leave the World Behind, an upcoming novel by Rumaan Alam.

The book, out this fall, follows a husband and wife vacationing with their kids in Long Island when the owners of the house they're renting return, citing a massive blackout in the city. The families coincide in a tense living situation while cut off from all communication as the plot explores several relevant themes like race and class.

It will be written by Sam Esmail, the creator of Mr. Robot and Homecoming. Roberts starred in the first season of the latter.

While they haven't starred onscreen together since The Pelican Brief, Roberts and Washington reunited last year when the actor was honored with the American Film Institute’s lifetime achievement award. Roberts sat next to Washington's longtime wife Pauletta during the ceremony.

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection

During the emotional evening, a number of the actor’s peers and collaborators took to the stage to share their own heartfelt tributes, including Roberts.

“I met Denzel Washington over half of my life ago,” she remarked. “Working with Denzel, I had really never seen anything like it, honestly. It was like working as I imagined, with wheels. People screaming, women fainting in the street. I am amazed that I was never trampled in the crowds.”

“But what I remember so well as meeting Pauletta and all your kids and seeing how you valued your family, your home life above all else,” she continued. “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.”