“Set in a retro-futuristic past, the sci-fi adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel follows Michelle (Brown), an orphaned teenager who traverses the American West in search of her younger brother. Joining her on the journey is a sweet but mysterious robot and an eccentric drifter.”
In The Electric State, Bobby Brown as Michelle, a young woman searching for her lost brother, whom she once believed to be dead. At the start of the story, she discovers that he has tracked her down through a remote-controlled bot resembling a life-sized tin-toy version of his favorite sci-fi hero. Chris Pratt co-stars as Keats, a war veteran turned long-haul trucker, involved in a smuggling operation with one of his former enemies—a construction machine named Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie), who is like a Russian nesting doll, capable of transforming into progressively larger or smaller versions of himself. Together, Keats and Herman are the only ones who can help Michelle navigate hostile territory to find her missing brother, while also unraveling the mystery of his kidnapping.
“The alt-history backstory is that Walt Disney’s early animatronics for Disneyland took a surprisingly advanced turn, leading to intelligent robots a few decades later—who then revolted against their creators.”
Image Source: Netflix
The film also stars Ke Huy Quan as Dr. Amherst, Stanley Tucci as Ethan Skate, Woody Norman as Michelle’s brother, and Giancarlo Esposito as Colonel Marshall Bradbury. The film also features Jason Alexander, Martin Klebba, and Billy Bob Thornton. Additionally, Brian Cox voices Popfly, Jenny Slate voices Penny Pal, Anthony Mackie voices Herman, Alan Tudyk, and Woody Harrelson voices Mr. Peanut.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Joe Russo said, “It could be an assaultive theme if the story were set in the present day.” He added, “Sometimes we find that when you couch it in a fable, and you remove it from its immediacy, you can create space for people to process it differently. What Simon Stalenhag did that was so clever is that humans are using technology to dehumanize themselves, and he tells a story about technology that aspires to become human. At what point do they cross, and at what point does the technology become more human than the humans?”
The film is produced by Russell Ackerman, Chris Castaldi, Mike Larocca, Patrick Newall, Anthony Russo, and Joe Russo, with production companies AGBO, Double Dream, and Skybound.
The Electric State is scheduled to be released on Netflix in March 2025.
Andrew Conor is the senior editor at Maxblizz, Conor is collaborating with designers, photographers, and other creatives to develop multimedia content that enhances the written content.
