The first look at the Russo Brothers’ anticipated sci-fi film, The Electric State, has arrived, offering a glimpse of its star-studded cast and a post-apocalyptic world shaped by a war between humans and artificial intelligence. The film, set to debut on Netflix in March 2025, features Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, a young woman searching for her missing brother, and Chris Pratt as Keats, a war veteran turned trucker. Anthony Mackie voices a robot named Herman, a unique construction machine with the ability to shift between different sizes.
The Electric State, based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel, takes place in 1994 after a catastrophic battle between humans and AI. The aftermath sees defeated robots exiled to a desert exclusion zone, while society struggles to rebuild. Vanity Fair’s exclusive images provide fans with their first look at more of the cast, including Ke Huy Quan as Dr. Amherst, Stanley Tucci as Ethan Skate, and Giancarlo Esposito as Colonel Marshall Bradbury.
The film’s plot seems to traces the origins of the AI uprising to advanced animatronics from Disneyland, as explained by Joe Russo. These seemingly benign robots, inspired by Walt Disney’s early creations, eventually demand equality with humans, leading to a violent conflict. Russo described how this juxtaposition of friendly-looking service bots turning dangerous plays a key role in the story’s tension.