The Russo Brothers are in a strange moment in their careers. The duo got their start in television, but they made a name for themselves by directing Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame for Marvel. After those blockbusters, the two moved to Netflix, where they made the successful but forgettable Extraction and The Gray Man. Then their Netflix tenure was interrupted by a surprise at San Diego Comic-Con, where it was announced that the Russos would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
However, the two still have an upcoming Netflix sci-fi epic called The Electric State. It’s an intriguing transitional project between Netflix and Marvel, as it stars Netflix icon Millie Bobby Brown and Marvel mainstay Chris Pratt, and now the first trailer has revealed its massive scope.
Set to Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova,” the trailer shows Michelle (Brown), a young woman searching for her brother in a world recovering from a robot rebellion. She’s visited by a robot her brother appears to control, and ventures forth alongside smuggler Keats (Chris Pratt) and his own robot sidekick, Herman (Anthony Mackie). Together, they enter the Exclusion Zone, where all robots have been exiled, to learn what happened to her brother.
The Electric State is based on the book by Simon Stålenhag, but looks very different. The book is an art-focused graphic novel featuring minimalist paintings of abandoned robots, while the movie adaptation takes its premise and turns it into a classic Russo brothers blockbuster, full of huge set pieces and high-stakes quests.
Those two big Marvel movies will likely take up much of the Russos’ time going forward, so this will likely be their last Netflix movie for a while. Their track record at the streamer has been shaky, but this blend of worldbuilding, post-apocalyptic action, and sheer goofiness could be a potent combination for them. Plus, Mr. Peanut shows up. So while there may be a while to wait for the next Avengers outings, The Electric State could keep Russo fans sated until then.
