The Russo Brothers are back! After dabbling in sprawling crime saga territory with Cherry and getting stuck into the world of spies with The Gray Man, the men behind Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame are undertaking a road trip movie with a robot-shaped twist in The Electric State, a post apocalyptic sci-fi joint based on Simon Stålenhag's striking 2018 graphic novel. Boasting an all-star cast (Millie Bobby Brown! Chris Pratt! Giancarlo Esposito! Brian Cox!) and a compelling conceit — What if man and AI went to war in the 90s and turned America into a bot-strewn wasteland? — it looks like a welcome return to the Russos' genre roots. Check out the trailer below:
Set to a slowed down mix of Oasis' 'Champagne Supernova' and filled with quintessential post-apocalyptic imagery — dystopian headsets, rusting robots, spontaneous fire pits, deserted frontier-looking towns — The Electric State bears all the hallmarks of a classic 80s, Amblinesque romp, complete with Chris Pratt sporting a dodgy handlebar 'tache. After an ominous sounding android rebellion, we learn from Brown's Michelle that "humans lost connection", but with Pratt's roguish Keats up for a perilous voyage across the States with Michelle, it looks like connection may — at long last — be back on the menu. With added Ke Huy Quan, screen-faced Giancarlo Esposito, and about a bajillion bots of all different shapes and sizes (including Planters mascot Mr. Peanut!) no less.
Here's the synopsis: "The Electric State follows a young woman (Michelle, played by Brown) who embarks on a perilous journey across the robot-ravaged US, accompanied by a mysterious toy robot and a roguish smuggler (Pratt). Together, they’ll unravel a mechanical conspiracy at the center of the American heartland."
Written by Russo regular collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, rocking a stacked ensemble, and taking one of the most visually stunning graphic novels of the last decade as its source, The Electric State has us energised, hyped, and ready for 14 March, 2025 to get here and get here fast. *Alexa — play even slower 'Champagne Supernova' with added reverb.*