Summary
Earlier in the week,Netflixunveiled the first look for its latest action film.The Electric Statestars Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown and hails from the powerhouse team behind some of Marvel Studios' biggest hits. Joe and Anthony Russo directed the movie from a screenplay by Christopher Markus andStephen McFeely, who worked onCaptain America: The Winter Soldierwith the director duo.
The Electric Statetells the story of an orphaned teenager, played by Brown, as she traverses the American West in search of her brother. Along the way, she comes upon a sweet and mysterious robot, as well as a drifter, played by Pratt. However, one thing audiences might not be aware of is thatThe Electric Stateis actually an adaptation of a short story. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the movie adaptation and the bookNetflix’s next big sci-fi adventure is based on.
The Electric State: What is the Latest Russo brothers Movie About?
Netflix’sElectric Stateis an apocalyptic story adapted from a graphic novel. The story focuses onMillie Bobby Brown’s Michelle, a teen in the late 90s, who sets out on a journey with her yellow robot toy through a strange landscape full of discarded battle robots and mystery. They’re on the hunt for her lost brother, who she once thought to be deceased. Along the way, she happens upon a drifter named Keats, played by Chris Pratt. The story follows the duo as they set out on a mission to locate Michelle’s brother, all while stumbling upon the ruins of battle bots and discarded technology left behind in a world where people are obsessed with virtual-reality. Pratt’s Keats is a veteran, who went on to become a long-haul trucker. Like Michelle, he also has a companion of sorts, with a construction machine named Herman - voiced by another Marvel Studios star,Anthony Mackie. Brown’s character, Michelle, was once told her entire family was killed in a car crash, so when she learns the truth regarding her brother, she’s desperate to find him, no matter what it takes. It’s a journey of grief, self-discovery, and family told within a post-apocalyptic robot world. Also set to appear in the film arethe likes of Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, andWoody Harrelson, who lends his voice to one of the robots.
The film adaptation is a result of Markus, who fell in love with the story told in Electric State, and soon drafted a screenplay with his frequent writing partner, McFeely. The duo presented the screenplay tothe Russo brothers, who resonated with the story, and wanted to help bring the story to life as a film. With Joe Russo tellingVanity Fair, “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.” For the directing duo, there was a mission to find a balance between funny and tragic in a story that oftentimes borderlines on the latter in the book.
The Electric State: What is it Based On?
The Electric Stateis actually based on a book by Simon Stålenhag, and is actually the third story in hisTales From the Loopseries. The story was released in December 2017, with Joe and Anthony Russo acquiring the rights to the story that same year. At the time that the duo acquired the rights to the story, they had originally set to have Andy and Barbara Muschietti work on the film for their AGBO banner. However, the duo was tied up withThe Flashfor Warner Bros., resulting in the brothers opting to direct the project, which was supposed to be released through Universal initially.The film eventually moved to Netflixtwo years ago, after the deal with Universal fell through, and Chris Pratt went on to join the project following the shift to Netflix.The Electric Stateis set in the American West in the 90s and features a low-tech apocalyptic world. It follows a runaway teen in 1997, as she embarks on a journey with her robot toy. During their journey, the duo come upon ruins of gigantic battle drones, as well as the discarded trash of a society obsessed with a virtual-reality. The book was produced through aKickstarter campaignrun by Free League, with backers helping to quickly surpass the project’s goal, with Stålenhag even going on to create a soundtrack for backers on the website.The Electric State, which is less than two-hundred pages in length, featured rich images that detailed the robots and technology on display within this 90s apocalyptic story set within the American West.
While not necessarily a household name yet, Stålenhag is an internationally acclaimed author, who is also a concept designer and artist. His work on hisTales From the Loopseries is highly known, and to this day, he continues to craft new and fascinating worlds full of rich detail. Following the success of the Kickstarter forThe Electric State, the book is now available for purchase through Skybound Books.
