The Electric State is coming to Netflix, starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-gestating adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 illustrated novel has been picked up by Netflix, with MCU directors Joe and Anthony Russo attached to direct.
Millie Bobby Brown will star as Michelle, an orphaned teenager traveling across a retro-futuristic American west with an eccentric drifter and mysterious robot, in search of her younger brother.
Chris Pratt is also in talks to join The Electric State in an undisclosed role.
The Electric State has been in the works for some time, originally at Universal, until rising costs forced the team to put the film into turnaround, eventually being picked up by Netflix. The film’s new budget is thought to be upward of $200 million – another hefty price tag for a Netflix production.
The script is currently being penned by Russo collaborators, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who also wrote the script for Avengers: Endgame, which the Russo Brothers directed.
The Russo Brothers purchased the rights to The Electric State back in 2017 with Andy and Barbara Muschietti expected to direct the adaptation as recently as 2019. But the Russo Brothers have since had a change of heart, opting to helm the project themselves.
As for who will voice Michelle’s toy robot Skip in The Electric State, that remains a mystery – but considering Chris Pratt is voicing both Mario and Garfield, he could be adding another name to the list.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.