Having jettisoned hundreds of employees, lost billions of dollars in value, and seen subscribers cancel their monthly payments in alarmingly large numbers, you’d have thought Netflix may have started tightening the purse strings somewhat. Instead, it’s been confirmed that The Electric State will be the platform’s next $200 million blockbuster investment.
On paper, fans should be thrilled about Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors the Russo brothers, who already have a mega budget Netflix original on the way with The Gray Man premiering on July 15, diving back into the world of effects-driven escapism.
That’s without even mentioning the high concept premise that finds a teenage girl and her robot traveling across the ruins of future America in the aftermath of a devastating drone war, with Millie Bobby Brown set to play the lead role as she continues her own fruitful association with the company.
A-list superstar Chris Pratt is in talks to join the cast, too, but a quick glance at Reddit makes it clear that there’s not exactly a huge amount of interest in The Electric State, despite its impressive pedigree.
It was reported that one of the reasons Netflix ended up with the project was because Universal weren’t going to stump up the required budgetary costs, allowing the streaming service to swoop in and throw even more reams of cash at a high-profile original that’s already fighting an uphill battle to generate interest or excitement.
That could all change, though, given that shooting is set to begin as soon as October, but the jury definitely remains out on The Electric State for now.