The Electric State, which is being developed and directed by The Russo Brothers, is one of our most anticipated forthcoming Netflix films. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming film, which stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt and will be released in October 2022. The Electric State was years in the making before it was released on Netflix, so before we get into everything we know about the film, here’s a little synopsis of its history:
The book was released in December of 2017.
In December 2017, the Russo Brothers obtained the rights to the sci-fi novel, with Andy Muschietti (It) vying for the director’s chair and Barbara Muschietti set to produce.
Millie Bobby Brown will feature in the film, which will be directed by the Russo Brothers and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It was scheduled to be released in theatres.
We exclusively revealed that Netflix is considering taking over the project in June 2022.
The project will be officially acquired by Netflix in 2022, with an announcement expected in late June 2022.
The film is directed by the Russo Brothers, who also run the production company AGBO. The Russo brothers are best recognised for their work on Marvel’s The Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. They’ve also directed various projects throughout the years, including The Gray Man, a recent Netflix action film. The duo is currently working on at least seven new Netflix projects, including Extraction 2, Past Midnight, The Bluff, and The Gray Man 2. The project’s writers and executive producers are Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The project’s casting directors are Sarah Finn and Tara Feldstein. The film will have a budget of $200 million, which is the same as the amount allotted to the Russo Brothers’ previous great hit for Netflix, The Gray Man.
What is the plot of Netflix’s The Electric State?
The film is an adaptation of the same-titled book by Simon Stenhag (although it was previously known as Passagen). Other well-known works written by Stlenhag include Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood. Here is a summary of the plot, which is mainly anticipated to be followed by the future film (thanks to GoodReads):
“In 1997, a young woman on the run travels through an unfamiliar USA with her yellow toy robot. The countryside is littered with the detritus of a high tech consumerist society in decline, including the wreckage of enormous battle drones. The world outside the car window seems to be falling apart quicker and faster as it drives toward the edge of the continent, as if civilization’s hollow heart had finally given way somewhere beyond the horizon.
Who has been cast in Netflix’s The Electric State?
Millie Bobby Brown was attached to the project in December 2020 and will allegedly continue to be so for Netflix. Brown is best recognised for her role on Netflix’s Stranger Things, but she has also worked on the Godzilla franchise and the upcoming Enola Holmes. This is in addition to the actress’s other planned Netflix productions. On August 11th, Netflix revealed the whole cast, including actors and actresses, as well as a couple who will provide their voices to the film. Michelle Yeoh is no longer a member of the cast as of November 2022. In terms of voice talent:
Brian Cox (Succession)
Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Parks & Recreation)
In November 2022, as part of a large Variety story on AGBO, we learned that four more prominent celebrities had joined the cast:
Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian, Breaking Bad) will play Marshall, a “robotic drone manned by Esposito’s character remotely and tasked with hunting down the robot aiding Brown’s character on her quest.”
Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) will play a doctor. Replaced Michelle Yeoh.
Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Mirror) will play a sentient robot who is the sidekick for Pratt’s character.
Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo, The Gray Man, Goliath) will play a sentient robot from the civil war.
Martin Klebba is also thought to be in The Electric State’s cast.
When will Netflix release The Electric State?
According to ProductionWeekly, filming will begin in mid-October 2022 and end in February 2023, but some claim the picture will not be completed until April 2023. The film is being shot in Atlanta, Georgia.
A Variety interview with the Russo Brothers stated that the film was aiming for a Netflix release date of 2024. It’s unknown whether the film will have a wide or limited theatrical distribution.