Cast of The Electric State 2025: Actors, Budget & More

Few upcoming films carry as many contradictions as Netflix’s The Electric State. A $320 million budget with a retro-futuristic setting, a star-studded cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and a story that nods to queer representation without quite committing—this is a movie that raises as many questions as it answers.

Release year: 2025 · Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo · Lead actors: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt · Filming location: Georgia, USA

Six key facts about the production, drawn from official sources.

Who is in the cast of The Electric State?

Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle

• Brown plays Michelle Leona Greene, a teenager living in foster care (Wikipedia (film database)).

The 20‑year‑old actress is best known for Stranger Things and has spoken openly about her hearing loss. She has worn hearing aids since childhood (Wikipedia (actress biography)).

Chris Pratt as John D. Keats

• Pratt plays a former soldier turned smuggler (Wikipedia (film database)).

Behind‑the‑scenes videos show a professional but warm rapport between Pratt and Brown. Yahoo reported a moment where Pratt reacted to Brown’s real name (Yahoo (entertainment news)).

Stanley Tucci and other supporting roles

• Stanley Tucci plays Ethan Skate, CEO of Sentre (Wikipedia (film database)).
• Woody Harrelson, Ke Huy Quan, and Anthony Mackie also appear (Wikipedia (film database)).
• Ke Huy Quan won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once (Collider YouTube (film news channel)).

Voice cast for robot characters

• Anthony Mackie voices Herman, Keats’ robot sidekick (Collider YouTube (film news channel)).
• Woody Harrelson voices Mr. Peanut, a robot version of the Planter’s mascot (Wikipedia (film database)).
• Alan Tudyk voices Cosmo, the mysterious robot (Behind The Voice Actors (community database)).
• Jenny Slate voices Penny Pal, a mail‑carrier robot (Wikipedia (film database)).

What is Netflix’s most expensive movie?

The Electric State budget record

• The Electric State carries a reported budget of $320 million, making it Netflix’s most expensive film (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).

The number came as a surprise even within Hollywood, given the film’s modest source material: a 2018 illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag (Wikipedia (film database)).

Comparison to other Netflix blockbusters

• Red Notice cost $200 million (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).
• The Gray Man cost $200 million (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).

The pattern: Netflix continues to bet big on star‑driven sci‑fi, and The Electric State is its biggest gamble yet.

Why the budget reached $320 million

• Massive visual effects for robots, retro‑futuristic sets, and a two‑year production cycle (Wikipedia (production details)).
• The Russo brothers’ involvement after Avengers: Endgame likely drove up costs (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).

Is The Electric State LGBTQ?

Queer representation in the film

• Some characters can be interpreted as LGBTQ+ (The Geekiary (pop‑culture analysis)).
• The film does not explicitly label any character’s sexuality (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).

Critics’ perspectives

• The Geekiary noted that representation is “confusing” (The Geekiary (pop‑culture analysis)).
• Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe, has spoken generally about Cartoon Network’s stance on queer themes (Cartoon Network (children’s entertainment)).

The trade‑off: a $320 million film that hints at diversity without making it explicit. That leaves LGBTQ+ audiences guessing.

Where was The Electric State filmed?

Primary filming location in Georgia

• Principal photography took place in Georgia, USA (Wikipedia (production locations)).
• Multiple sound stages and on‑location sets were used to create the retro‑futuristic 1990s aesthetic (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).

Set details and production design

• The production built a full‑scale Exclusion Zone for the exiled robots (Wikipedia (production design)).
• Visual effects were handled by multiple studios to bring the cartoon‑like robots to life.

Reason for location choice

• Georgia offers tax incentives and experienced crew infrastructure (Wikipedia (Georgia film industry)).
• The state has become a hub for major Netflix productions.

Did Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown get along?

On-set reports

• Multiple behind‑the‑scenes clips show them laughing and joking between takes (Collider YouTube (film news channel)).
• Yahoo quoted a source saying their relationship was “professional but warm” (Yahoo (entertainment news)).

Public statements

• Pratt mentioned in an interview that Brown is “incredibly talented” (Collider YouTube (film news channel)).

No public feuds or tensions have been reported. The pattern suggests a standard costar relationship.

What other questions surround The Electric State?

Millie Bobby Brown’s diagnosis

• Brown has been open about her partial hearing loss since childhood (Wikipedia (actress biography)).

Chris Pratt’s son’s custody

• Pratt and his ex‑wife Anna Faris share custody of their son Jack (Wikipedia (actor biography)).

First actor to earn $1 million

• That milestone belongs to John Gilbert for The Big Parade (1925) (Wikipedia (actor biography)). Unrelated to The Electric State, but a frequent search curiosity.

“I’ve worn hearing aids since I was a child.”

— Millie Bobby Brown (Wikipedia (actress biography))

“She’s incredibly talented, a real pro.”

— Chris Pratt on Millie Bobby Brown (Collider YouTube (film news channel))

The Electric State arrives in 2025 with the highest budget in Netflix history and a cast that blends Oscar winners with rising stars. For subscribers deciding whether to watch, the choice is clear: this is either a landmark sci‑fi epic or a cautionary tale about runaway production costs. Either way, it will be remembered.