Announced nearly 2 years ago, a sci-fi feature from the Russo Brothers starring Millie Bobby Brown is apparently finally making some progress at Netflix. Based on the novel The Electric State by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, the film of the same name was originally pitched to Universal Pictures in December 2020. Now that things have fallen through, Netflix has swooped in to acquire the rights, likely since they’re already all-in on the duo with their other upcoming film The Gray Man, which stands as the streamer’s most expensive movie yet.
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Brown had already signed on to the picture at the end of 2020, which revealed the premise of a teenage orphan traveling through a rather gritty and grounded futuristic version of the American West in search of her little brother. She’s accompanied by a mysterious yet endearing robot on her travels, further driving home Stålenhag’s typical style of a quiet yet dramatic sci-fi setting. Helpfully, the novel itself is illustrated, which should provide some adequate guidance for the visual style of the Russo Brothers’ adaptation.
Netflix has apparently been interested in the film since early 2022 but was only able to close a deal recently due to scheduling conflicts. But now that things are finally moving forward, the production is eyeing the fall for the official start of production. It certainly took a while to get here after the original December 2020 announcement, but hopefully, things can move much more smoothly from here on out.
Brown has been burning the midnight oil lately, particularly with the upcoming conclusion of her wildly-acclaimed time on Netflix’s Stranger Things. Filming also concluded earlier this year on Enola Holmes 2, the follow-up to Brown’s 2020 film following the young sister of famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Aside from those two, the latter of which is a Netflix production as well, she’s got yet another starring role in the pipeline with the same streamer’s action-adventure movie Damsel, set to drop in 2023.
The premise alone of The Electric State is interesting enough, but the involvement of both Brown and the Russo Brothers makes it all the more enticing. Rumors have also been circling about Chris Pratt possibly joining as co-star, which goes even further in that regard. But either way, it looks like fans of Brown will have plenty to enjoy for a while to come.
The Electric State begins production in fall 2022.
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Source: Netflix, Deadline
