A good detective never slows down, it seems. As just the latest in a steady stream of new projects like 2020's well-received Enola Holmes, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown is teaming up with the Russo Brothers for a sci-fi novel adaptation. Expect plenty of robots and drama, as is tradition with such things.
Joe and Anthony Russo, the much lauded directors of (among several others) Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, have set out to adapt Simon Stålenhag's 2018 graphic novel The Electric State into a feature film for Universal Pictures. Brown will play the lead, a teenager traveling through a declining America on a journey with her little robot friend. The story promises plenty of futuristic imagery in distinctly modern, mundane settings, as is Stålenhag's modus operandi.
In the novel, which is set in a rather grounded future, Brown's character encounters a friendly robot whom she discovers was sent by her lost brother. The two leave on a journey to find him, taking them through what the book describes as "a high tech consumerist society in decline" as they search. But it turns out things aren't necessarily as they seem as the two dig deeper into the dark corners of a crumbling nation.
As both a writer and artist, Stålenhag is able to fully flesh out the worlds he creates both verbally and visually, resulting in hauntingly surreal paintings and stories of realistic and often bleak (but not necessarily depressing) futures. The Electric State appears to be no different, and it will be interesting to see where the Russo Brothers go with it. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who also worked with them in the Avengers films, will write the script, so having that history between the 4 of them should lend itself well to the cohesiveness of the whole production.
In a time where much of sci-fi tends to gravitate towards gritty, corporate, cyberpunk dystopias, a Stålenhag story has the potential to be a breath of fresh air. His artwork arguably carries a theme of "technology changes the world, but it's still recognizable," and that grounded take on the future will be fascinating to see. No word on whether Stålenhag himself will be involved in the production, but if he is, they'll certainly have their aesthetic style covered.
Telling a personal, human story in a sci-fi world is always a fascinating idea. The unfamiliar context allows the viewer to see familiar emotions from a different perspective, giving audiences a satisfying, fresh take. With the talent involved here, The Electric State is sure to be all that and a bag of (computer) chips.
Source: Variety