No, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was not featured in a Netflix film produced by the Obamas

On March 26, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge was struck by a large cargo ship, causing the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River.

Following the bridge collapse, a theory that the Netflix film “Leave the World Behind” predicted the collision began to circulate online. One image posted repeatedly across social media is being shared with claims it shows an actual scene from the movie. In the image, a person is looking out a window at the ruins of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“For those of you that don’t know…. The Francis Scott Key bridge is the same bridge event that took place in the Netflix movie ‘Leave the World Behind.’ The production company is owned by the Obamas,” screenshots with the image say. 

THE QUESTION

Is the image being shared online from the Netflix film “Leave the World Behind”?

THE SOURCES

• Original Adobe Stock image
• Original photo of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse published by various news outlets, including Reuters
• RevEye and TinEye, reverse image search tools
• “Leave the World Behind” on Netflix

THE ANSWER

No, the image being shared online isn’t from the Netflix film “Leave the World Behind.” 

WHAT WE FOUND

The image being shared across social media isn’t real. It is a composite image edited using two different images – one real and one generated by artificial intelligence. The portion of the image showing the Francis Scott Key collapse is a real image taken the same day as the collapse, March 26. The portion of the image showing the man looking out the window comes from a stock image created by artificial intelligence.

Using RevEye, a reverse image search tool, VERIFY was able to trace the portion of the image showing the bridge to this Reuters article about the bridge’s collapse.

“A view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., in this picture released on March 26. Harford County MD Fire & EMS/Handout via REUTERS,” the original photo caption says.

Using TinEye, a reverse image search tool, VERIFY was able to trace the portion of the image showing the man looking out a window to this stock image published on Adobe Stock. In the original stock image, the scene outside the window is an urban skyline, not the Francis Scott Key Bridge. 

The Adobe Stock image title says the image depicts a “person, sitting up in hospital bed, looking out the window at urban skyline, created with generative ai.”

So, we can VERIFY this image doesn’t show a scene from “Leave the World Behind.”  

“Leave the World Behind” didn’t predict or reference the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse at all. While there is a scene showing an oil tanker running aground on a beach, there are no scenes that feature or mention a bridge collapse in the film. Former U.S. president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are credited as executive producers of the film through their company, Higher Grounds Productions. In the film, a family’s vacation on Long Island turns into a struggle for survival after a mysterious blackout. 

The bridge collapsed after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. Federal and state authorities are continuing to investigate the accident.