The Russo brothers once again join forces with Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for Netflix’s grandeur project The Electric State. The film is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag, whose artwork formed the basis of the Prime Video series, Tales from the Loop. However, the budget of the ambitious project has irked many fans as Netflix has allocated $300 million for the project.
The huge budget makes fans question all the other great projects on which the streaming platform pulled the plug. What makes them even more angry is the poor track record of the Russo brothers after their all-time hit Infinity Saga films.
Fans Hate That Russo Brothers Get $300 Million From Netflix While Other Great Projects Get Canceled
Netflix embarks on an ambitious journey with its upcoming sci-fi adventure film The Electric State. They joined forces with the Avengers: Endgame team to make the film which features an A-list cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Giancarlo Esposito, Anthony Mackie, and others (via Variety). However, the film’s reported $300 million budget has made several fans unhappy with the streaming platform (via Puck).
Fans accused that the platform was investing $300 million in the Russo brothers’s film due to their fame in the MCU. While the new project gets such a huge budget, other smaller projects are being canceled at Netflix. One X fan, @NewbyRichard3, shared the news of the huge budget along with a list of his favorite projects canceled by the platform.
The fan pointed out how Netflix ditched Kathryn Bigelow‘s feature film based on David Koepp’s book Aurora (via Collider). The fan also mentioned the cancelation of Alison Brie’s GLOW after it was renewed for a fourth and final season. Another project the fan mentioned was the fan-favorite series, Mindhunter. Many fans still campaign for a revival of David Fincher’s series on Netflix.
Thinking about how Kathryn Bigelow couldn’t get the budget to make Aurora.
— Richard Newby – Newbyish Account (@NewbyRichard3) June 19, 2024
Thinking about how GLOW was renewed and then canceled ahead of its final season.
Thinking about how David Fincher isn’t continuing Mindhunter because it was too pricey.
Thinking about a lot of things. https://t.co/n0np8qBLgg
Other fans too agreed, sharing that $300 million spent on a single movie that could be forgotten in just days was a poor move from the streamer. One fan shared that he couldn’t possibly fathom how Mindhunter was too expensive to continue. Another fan wondered how the streamer could trust the Russo brothers over other esteemed filmmakers whose projects were canceled.
Another fan mentioned how the streamer also canceled projects like Lockwood & Co. and 1899. The fan added that the streamer spent unnecessary money on below-average projects, starring big names like Ryan Reynolds. Some of the fan reactions read:
Thinking about spending $300 million on a single movie to be dumped on Netflix and forgotten days after instead of going for hundreds of millions at the box office, with lasting cultural impact
— Plisken (@PliskenMGS) June 19, 2024
I still don't understand how Mind Hunter was too expensive to continue. Literally a third of the scenes take place in a drab basement office, and another third are in nondescript urban or suburban neighborhoods.
— Arthur Hill (@arthurhill_) June 19, 2024
I'm surprised at the faith shown in the Russos. They don't have a track record anywhere near as good as the filmmakers you mentioned (and I don't think any combination of circumstances could help them reach that level either). How would you spread that kind of budget, ideally?
— Dread Pirate Dwyer (@HamishDwyer) June 19, 2024
Loved Glow, and Lockwood and Co, and 1899. The list goes on, but there's always money for another below average Ryan Reynolds action movie.
— bethan browne (@farnham73) June 19, 2024
The cancellation of GLOW will never sit right with me. I'm gonna be salty about that till I draw my last breath fr
— Flip (@funplexflip) June 19, 2024
The Electric State explores the story of a girl and her toy robot as the two of them set out to find her missing brother. Brown plays the girl Michelle and Pratt plays Keats, a smuggler who befriends Michelle.
The Russo Brothers Have An Unimpressive Track Record After Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe Russo, were one of the most sought-after filmmaking pairs in Hollywood. They achieved major successes with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. However, post-Endgame, the duo had worked as directors only on two films.
In 2021, they directed Cherry, starring Marvel’s Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. Holland gave a fantastic performance in the film but the writing and Russos’ direction were subjected to criticism. In 2022, the brothers wrote and directed The Gray Man for Netflix, another massive budget film. While the film was a streaming hit, it was also criticized for its lazy writing and direction.
The Electric State will be their third film after the Marvel stint and they badly need to bounce back on their directing game. The pressure of a $300 million project doesn’t do them any good. However, fans still look forward to the film adaptation of an acclaimed graphic novel.
The Electric State will start streaming on Netflix in 2024.
