First announced in 2020, AGBO’s The Electric State set to be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo is eying a jump over to Netflix, What’s on Netflix has learned.
The Electric State is an adaptation of Simon Stålenhag‘s sci-fi graphic novel which was released in 2018. The book is described as a mix between Stranger Things and On The Road and is known for its lavish illustrations. Stålenhag’s other beloved title Tales from the Loop was recently adapted for Amazon Prime Video.
Here’s what the story is about if you’ve not had a chance to read it:
“Set in a post-apocalyptic 1997, The Electric State is the story of Michelle who, accompanied by her toy robot Skip, sets out across the western United States in a stolen car to find her missing brother. Told in achingly melancholy, spare prose and featuring almost a hundred gorgeous, full-colour illustrations, The Electric State is a novel like no other.”
Picture: Simon Stålenhag
Set up by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is their production company who first optioned the rights to the story back in 2017. It was in December 2020 when Deadline first revealed that Universal had snapped up the property from AGBO and that Stranger Thing’s Millie Bobby Brown would be starring as the lead role of Michelle. Anthony and Joe Russo were and continue to be attached as directors on the movie.
The story of the movie is written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who both worked on The Avengers and Captain America with the Russos. The movie is set to follow the main beats of the book telling the story of a teenage girl called Michelle who goes on a journey with her robot who was sent by her brother.
The hardcover of the book has plenty of evocative images and this video below hopefully gives you some kind of indication as to what we could expect from a possible movie.
Now, as we’ve learned, the feature film is eying a jump to release on Netflix suggesting that Universal will no longer give the movie a theatrical release.
The production of The Electric State is currently casting for numerous roles including the role of Young Michelle and Christopher according to our intel. The project is currently under the guise of the working title “Stormwind”.
We’re hearing that production on The Electric State is due to keep to the timeline set out in the Deadline article above with cameras currently due to roll between October 2022 and February 2023. It’ll be filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is the latest project Netflix is working on with AGBO. Their biggest project to date is undoubtedly The Gray Man scheduled to release on Netflix in July 2022. They also work on the production of Extraction which will see the second entry release in 2023.
The company is attached to produce on the upcoming Noah Hawley thriller starring Regé-Jean Page and earlier this year, we reported that their optioned adaptation of The Whisper Man was eying a jump to Netflix.
Millie Bobby Brown – Picture: Getty Images
Assuming Brown is still attached to the project, this is one of several major projects she has in development with Netflix.
Her breakout role in Stranger Things is still ongoing with the first volume of season 4 having released at the end of May 2022, volume 2 in July, and a fifth and final season. She’s currently filming Damsel for Netflix as well as set to appear in Enola Holmes 2, The Girls I’ve Been and the yet-to-be-confirmed The Thing About Jellyfish.
We’ll keep you posted on all things The Electric State as and when we hear more.