Netflix’s upcoming sci-fi adventure “The Electric State,” directed by Cleveland-born filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, arrives on March 14. This high-budget production adapts Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel into a post-apocalyptic journey through an alternate 1990s America.
The film follows Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) and her robot companion Cosmo as they search for her missing brother across a landscape ravaged by a robot uprising. Chris Pratt joins as a smuggler named Keats, with Anthony Mackie voicing his shape-shifting robot sidekick Herman.
“The thing that spoke to us immediately was humanity’s relationship to technology and the sort of complexity and danger inherent in that relationship,” Anthony Russo explained. “That issue is so timely right now.”
Mobile Game Prequel Launches March 18
Netflix is expanding “The Electric State” universe with a free mobile game prequel titled “The Electric State: Kid Cosmo.” Launching on March 18 for Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android, the game explores Michelle and Chris’s relationship before the events of the film.
Described as a “bite-sized adventure puzzle game,” it blends gameplay with emotional storytelling. This game represents Netflix’s growing commitment to transmedia storytelling, creating interconnected experiences across different platforms.
The Russos developed the game through their media company AGBO, which recently hired former Nifty Games executive Pete Wanat as president of interactive technology. This signals their serious investment in gaming as a storytelling medium.
“What we’re doing is creating new IP,” Joe Russo told Variety. “We want to tell new stories with new characters and new worlds that people haven’t seen before.”
Robot Design Challenges
Creating Cosmo, the film’s main robot character, presented unique challenges. Based on Simon Stålenhag’s illustrations, Cosmo features an improbably large yellow head atop a spindly frame – a design that looks appealing but defies engineering logic.
“Simon Stålenhag’s work is what attracted me to this movie to begin with,” said visual effects supervisor Matthew E. Butler. “But his designs are often aesthetically cool and engineeringly impossible.”
To make Cosmo believable, designers added mechanical elements while maintaining the character’s distinctive silhouette. They also created a backstory: Cosmo was originally a promotional robot based on a 1950s children’s TV show, designed to be rented for children’s parties.
For Cosmo’s movements, the team used a combination of animation and motion capture, with performer Devyn Dalton bringing the character to life. Sound designers added mechanical noises to enhance the robot’s authenticity.
The film also features other imaginative robots, including a postal carrier (voiced by Jenny Slate), Mr. Peanut (Woody Harrelson), and an old baseball-pitching machine called PopFly (Brian Cox).
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Critical Reception and Marketing
While the film isn’t yet released, early reviews have praised its visual effects while noting concerns about emotional depth and storytelling. The Russos have emphasized the emotional core of the story, focusing on Michelle’s search for her brother.
For marketing, UCLA’s Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory created real-life robots, including a functional Cosmo that appeared alongside the cast at New York Comic Con last October. These promotional robots have been showcased at global events, generating excitement for the film.
“The Electric State” marks the Russos’ return to big-budget filmmaking after projects like “Cherry” and “The Gray Man.” After this Netflix project, they’ll be returning to Marvel for “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”