Upcoming Netflix sci-fi western The Electric State boasts a stellar cast and an equally huge budget. Catch your first glimpse of the sci-fi western here.
Netflix have once again been in the headlines this week, with Barbie director Greta Gerwig said to be unhappy about making two Narnia films for the streamer that won’t ever see the inside of a cinema. Apparently, she isn’t the only disgruntled creative in the Netflix stable either. Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are said to be unhappy that Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery met largely the same fate that Gerwig’s Narnia films face, while their next film in the series, Wake Up Dead Man, will likely do the same.
There was also a story floating around last week that Margot Robbie and Emerald Fennell have turned down Netflix for their upcoming take on Wuthering Heights because of the streamer’s aversion to theatrical releases, even though Netflix reportedly offered twice as much cash as the nearest bidder.
Whether those reports are accurate we don’t know, but what we do know is that Netflix’s current model of film production isn’t sustainable either. Hugely expensive projects such as Red Notice or Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films represented huge outlays in cash with the platform unable to justify the expense. They may have drew plenty of eyeballs to Netflix, but did they have any positive cultural relevance at all? That’s why Dan Lin was brought in to replace Scott Stuber as the head of the company’s film division with a mandate to make films that are both ‘cheaper and better.’
Which brings us to The Electric State. The latest film from The Russo Brothers is a sci-fi western with a stacked cast that is said to have cost a whopping $320m to make. The film’s setting and need for plenty of visual effects is likely one key reason for that huge sum; The Electric State stars Millie Bobbie Brown as a teenager who, with robot friend in tow, ‘traverses a post-apocalyptic America looking for her missing brother.’ The supporting cast includes Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan and Stanley Tucci, while Brian Cox, Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thornton will be lending their voices to certain characters.
With the film set to release in March, it represents one of the last projects from the old guard at Netflix’s film division. It’s also the project that precedes the Russo Brothers’ return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to work on the next two Avengers films. The first will be called Avengers: Doomsday, which replaces Avengers: Kang Dynasty after the conviction of actor Jonathan Majors; the second is Avengers: Secret Wars.
Here’s hoping The Electric State is a positive swansong for the outgoing era of ridiculously expensive Netflix films. So many of them weren’t worth the price tag, but with the directors needing a bit of positive momentum before they return to the MCU and so many great actors on board, there are several reasons to root for this one, not least because on paper it looks like such a cool idea.
The Electric State will stream on Netflix from the 14th March 2025.
Here’s the first trailer:
