Plans for a film adaption for the graphic novel were announced in 2017, with Andy Muschietti. The Russo brothers later signed on to direct the film in December 2020. Universal Pictures later acquired the distribution rights to the film before Netflix took over the rights in June 2022. Much of the cast was revealed between June 2022 and November 2024.
The Electric State is scheduled to be released by Netflix on March 14, 2025.
Premise
Set in an alternate 1994, a young girl is approached by a robot who claims to know her missing brother, and with it, she sets out to find him.
The film was first announced in December 2017, when Anthony and Joe Russo acquired the rights to the graphic novel. They were set as producers, with Andy Muschietti in negotiations to direct. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, frequent collaborators of the Russo brothers, were set to write the screenplay.[2] In December 2020, Universal Pictures won the distribution rights to the film, with the Russos now directing and Muschietti remaining as an executive producer on the project via his new production company. Millie Bobby Brown was slated to star, with production set to begin as soon as the Russos completed The Gray Man (2022) and Brown concluded filming for season four of Stranger Things.[3]
In June 2022, it was reported that the film might have its distribution rights transferred to Netflix, as Universal was no longer planning to give the film a theatrical release. Later that month, it was confirmed that Netflix would be distributing the film, with Chris Pratt in talks to star alongside Brown.[4] Pratt would be confirmed in August, with Michelle Yeoh, Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, Brian Cox and Jenny Slate joining the cast. Cox and Slate were reported to be voicing characters in the film.[5] In October, Woody Norman was added to the cast.[6] In November, Giancarlo Esposito was cast in the film as the voice of Marshall, a menacing robotic drone.[7]Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thornton also joined the cast. Ke Huy Quan, Yeoh's co-star in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), had to replace her after she left the project due to scheduling conflicts.[8] In October 2024, it was reported that Woody Harrelson, Alan Tudyk, Hank Azaria and Colman Domingo had joined the cast as the voices of robot characters.[9][10]
Principal photography began in October 2022 in Atlanta, under the working title Stormwind.[11] On November 4, 2022, film production was temporarily paused after a crew member working on the film died in a car crash off-set.[12] Filming officially wrapped in early February 2023.[13] As of February 2024[update], reshoots had occurred from March 20 to April 5.[14][needs update] The score was composed by Alan Silvestri, marking the third collaboration between Silvestri and the Russo Brothers, following their work on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.[15]
Marketing
The first official images and a plot summary of the film were released by Netflix on October 1, 2024.[16] Dais Johnston of Inverse expressed concerns that these photos were confirmation that the film would seemingly be unfaithful to the original book since it showcased a visual style that involved "muddy color-grading" compared to the original artwork from Stålenhag.[17]
Netflix eventually released a teaser trailer on October 17, 2024, during New York Comic Con.[18] It was also confirmed that the film would largely diverge from the original source material in the hopes of telling its own original story, which received a negative response by fans that hoped for a direct adaptation.[19]
These major plot changes were explained at the film's panel, which involved Anthony Russo stating that they did find the original material as "fascinating" and compared their experience of adapting it as similar to the Marvel films. But he also stated that it was difficult for them to understand the story and felt that the world wasn't shown enough in the graphic novel, which caused the idea of developing it into a two-hour film as challenging. This led to them using the artwork as inspiration to make an entirely new story that featured the usage of 1990s aesthetics and the plot addition of robotic animatronics developing artificial intelligence, which involved them campaigning for equal rights in a retro-futuristic society.[20]
Release
The Electric State is set for release by Netflix on March 14, 2025.[21]
