‘The Electric State’: The Russo Bros. To Direct Millie Bobby Brown In Sci-Fi Robot Story

One of the first projects the Russo Brothers took on as part of their AGBO production banner was The Electric State, an adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s (Tales from the Loop) illustrated novel. But the Russos had planned only to produce, with It director Andy Muschietti actually behind the camera. However, things have changed. Muschietti is busy on The Flash, and so the Russos have decided to do it for themselves, and they already have a star.

Deadline reports the Russo Brothers will direct The Electric State, which will be headlined by Stranger Things and Enola Holmes star Millie Bobby Brown. Universal won a fierce bidding war to acquire the film, about a teen girl and her robot friend as they travel across a strange United States in 1997. Muschietti stays on board as a producer.

SYNOPSIS: In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her yellow toy robot travel west through a strange USA, where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside heaped together with the discarded trash of a high tech consumerist society in decline. As their car approaches the edge of the continent, the world outside the window seems to be unraveling ever faster as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely will write the script. They not only helped found AGBO, but worked with the Russos on a handful of films you might have heard of; Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. They are also writing The Gray Man, a huge star-driven Netflix film that the Russos will direct next.

Because the Russos will be busy, filming on The Electric State won’t begin until late 2021 or 2022.

 

 

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.