Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown has officially joined the cast of the Russo Brothers’ upcoming film The Electric State.
Per Collider, Brown will star in the film, which is slated to begin filming in October 2022. Anthony and Joe Russo also confirmed that the film had finally been picked up by Netflix.
The Electric State is based on the 2018 illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag. The book follows the adventures of a teenage runaway who, alongside her robotic companion, sets out on a journey across a crumbling, alternate version of the United States circa 1997. The wondrous, high-tech, consumerist society of The Electric State is offset by the continued deterioration of the country as its protagonists continue on in their trek. The film’s screenplay was adapted by The Gray Man co-writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who previously worked with the Russo Brothers at Marvel Studios.
This news comes on the heels of reports that Brown may also be in talks with Disney executives, including Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, regarding a potential turn in the Star Wars Universe. An unnamed source stated, “She’s had contact with Kathleen, who is aware of her desire to feature in a movie or play a central role in one of the new TV projects for Disney Plus.” The source also noted that Brown “doesn’t need to audition — it’s more a case of how the director and her bond. She has the gravitas to hold down the lead for that universe.”
Brown currently stars on Netflix’s Stranger Things, which is halfway through its fourth season. The latest entry into the widely beloved franchise has taken the series into a far darker direction than previous seasons, and has left fans with a plethora of questions about the fates of their favorite characters. Brown was previously asked where things are headed for her character, the superpowered Eleven. “The main part, and the slogan of this storyline, is it’s the beginning of the end,” she replied. “We really have to dig deep into [Eleven’s] beginning and how she became who she is with the people around her, and how to gain that autonomy and become this woman on her own. So this storyline this season really digs into that.”
The Russo Brothers’ next film, The Gray Man, is based on the 2009 Mark Geaney novel of the same name. The film stars Ryan Gosling as ex-CIA operative Court Gentry, a man being hunted by his former partner Lloyd Hansen, portrayed in the film by Chris Evans. Anthony Russo has confirms that The Gray Man has been planned as the beginning of its own larger franchise. “The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe,” he said. “We have all committed to the first movie and that’s got to be great to get us to the second movie. These are master assassins and Gosling’s character gets burned by the CIA and Evans’ character has to hunt him down.”
Source: Collider