‘The Electric State’: The Russo Brothers & Christopher Markus Talk Retro Sci-Fi, Their Marvel Homecoming & More [The Discourse Podcast]

After redefining blockbuster cinema with “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame,” the Russo Brothers are back—this time with a sci-fi adventure that swaps superheroes for sentient robots, a road trip, and some retro-futuristic ’90s nostalgia. “The Electric State” follows Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, a teenage runaway navigating a post-apocalyptic America filled with abandoned AI machines, scavengers, and a looming government threat. Her only companions? A quirky robot named Cosmo and a smuggler played by Chris Pratt, who may or may not be in this for the right reasons. Think “E.T.” meets Pixar meets “Mad Max”—or if Spielberg and Zemeckis had made a dystopian buddy movie with much more existential dread (read our review here).

The Russo Brothers and their longtime writing partner Christopher Markus joined The Discourse to talk about adapting Simon Stålenhag’s “The Electric State” graphic novel, balancing family-friendly adventure with darker themes, and, of course, their return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

READ MORE: ‘Captain America: Brave New World’: Director Julius Onah Talks Spoilers, False Reports Of On-Set Drama, Reshoots & Harrison Ford [The Discourse Podcast]

Joe Russo immediately clarified that their “The Electric State” adaptation wasn’t aiming for a one-to-one book translation. “The goal was a live-action Pixar movie,” he explained. “Our intention was to make it evocative of the movies we grew up on.”

Instead of leaning into the novel’s somber, dreamlike tone, the Russos wanted something more like the classic family films of the ’80s and ‘90s—but also movies that weren’t afraid to challenge kids emotionally. “Better storytelling for children explores complexity,” Joe continued. “Life is complex. Not all things can be wrapped up with a bow. This is a complex ending… it’s not a movie where you get everything you want.”

That ending—a significant departure from the book—was something they wrestled with. “If the movie is a meditation on technology, we don’t want to make a film saying, ‘We’re all screwed,’” Christopher Markus added. “The last thing the world needs is another dark dystopian sci-fi movie.” Instead, the film takes a more hopeful approach while keeping its emotional gut punches intact.

The Russo Brothers also leaned heavily into ‘80s/’90s aesthetics, which meant one thing: reteaming once again with Alan Silvestri. “Our favorite score of all time is ‘Back to the Future,’” Joe Russo said. “Alan was our dream pick, and somehow, we got him. That alone makes this feel like the ’90s adventure movie we wanted to make.”

Of course, having Millie Bobby Brown as the film’s lead didn’t hurt either. “She was the model very early on,” Markus admitted. “If we could get her, that would be great. If we can’t get her, I’m not exactly sure who it is.”

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Chris Pratt’s “The Electric State” role was another key shift from the book—one created wholesale for the film. His character, Keats, wasn’t exactly written with improvisation in mind, but once Pratt joined, things changed. “You don’t put Chris Pratt as a somber priest,” Markus joked. “You get him; you adapt the energy to him. And the dynamic between him and Millie—her being more text-loyal, him more improvisational—it just worked.”

And if Netflix was hoping for a potential franchise, they might just get one. Or at least the Russo brothers gave them a canvas to work off if needed. “We didn’t lay this movie out with a sequel in mind,” Anthony Russo admitted, “but we did build the world in a way that could be further explored.”

Of course, no Russo Brothers interview is complete without addressing their return to the MCU for “Avengers: Doomsday” & “Avengers: Secret Wars.” The brothers are currently hard at work on laying out the story and trying to tune out the noise of fan expectations. “We’re exclusively focused on the storytelling right now,” Anthony Russo said. Joe Russo added, “We did so many of those movies in a row that you forget about the pressure. The job is so all-encompassing and so intense that you can’t really think about, ‘Well, what are people going to feel or think about this?’ All you can think about is, ‘Is this a good story that we want to tell or not? Why are we doing it?’ And so we’re exclusively focused on the storytelling right now. And that’s the thing that brought us back. It was an idea for a story where we went. ‘That’s a really, really interesting story to tell.’

For Christopher Markus, however, it was time to move on from the Marvel universe. With Stephen McFeely reuniting with the Russos for the next phase of the MCU, many fans wondered why Markus’ name wasn’t included in the announcements. “You don’t ‘Avenge’ part-time,” he said bluntly. “Marvel is extremely full-time, and I had to make a choice. I’ve got a pilot at Netflix, a pilot at Amazon, nine books that need to be turned into a masterpiece… at some point, you have to do the thing you haven’t done before.”

That said, he loved his former collaborators but was happy to admit that things have gotten more complex at Marvel. “I think our movies form a nice spine to that first phase, but after we left, Marvel became more like the comics—diffuse, nonlinear, an organic expansion of the story. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just different.”

And what about Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Doctor Doom? Did it tempt Markus back? “No,” he laughed. “I was like, ‘That’s very clever, but that’s a lot of work!’”

“The Electric State” hits Netflix globally on March 14. Listen to the entire conversation below:

The Playlist Presents Christopher Markus’ Playlist of Film/TV Recommendations:

• “Carnival of Souls” (196 “) 
• “Resident Alien” (2021-Prese“t)
• “Monday Afternoon Movie” (Podca “t)
• “Chinatown” (19 “4)
• “The Equalizer” (1985-1989)