Extraction quickly became Netflix’s most-watched feature film ever. Premiering on April 24th, the action-heavy, Chris Hemsworth-starring, straight-to-streaming flick unsurprisingly took home the title of Netflix’s biggest opening day audience at the height of a global pandemic.
Though despite the odd stellar action sequence and relatively effortless viewing experience, the film failed to deliver critically amongst audiences and the industry alike. But as we know with films, the only real indicator of success is money, and if critical reception was the sole driver of sequels then we wouldn’t have nine Fast & Furious movies in the bank.
With sheer viewership numbers through the roof alone, it almost answers the question for us – will there be an Extraction 2?
Is Extraction 2 confirmed?
“The deal is closed for me to write Extraction 2, and we are in the formative stages of what the story can be,” said Joe Russo, one half of the sibling duo who spearheaded the production of the first film, told Deadline.
The company run by Joe Russo and his brother Anthony – AGBO – is currently assembling the pieces of the puzzle needed to get an Extraction sequel off the ground. Sam Hargrave, the original’s director, is pipped to return to the captain’s chair alongside Chris Hemsworth, who has yet to ink a deal for the reprisal of his role as Tyler Rake. Should the stars align with those at the helm (and Netflix’s payroll accountants) it seems unlikely the Avengers actor would decline a healthy paycheque to return.
What will the Extraction sequel be about?
*Extraction Spoilers Ahead*
After a gruelling and bloody slog to escort a young boy to safety, Hemsworth’s final scenes see his character left for dead on a bridge. As he succumbs to his wounds, mercenary Tyler Rake eventually tumbles to his supposed death into the murky water of the river below.
It’s not until the final shot of the entire film that the audience is left questioning if the unfocused man standing in the distance, is, in fact, Rake – who looks very much alive.
The blockbuster-producing duo clearly knew how much a sequel could be worth when writing the original, leaving the door wide open for a follow-up film, especially given Avengers: Endgame raked in a healthy US$2 billion (and then some) at the box office. The Russo recipe for commercial success seems like a well-proven formula.
As for the storyline of an Extraction 2 – Joe Russo himself has still yet to decide if he’ll be picking up the pieces of the first film or taking it back to Tyler Rake’s earlier days as a mercenary.
“We’re not committing yet to whether that story goes forward, or backward in time. We left a big loose ending that leaves question marks for the audience.”
Do we have an Extraction 2 release date yet?
While we know that Extraction 2 has the green light for development, until Netflix has signed on the dotted line, one can assume that no release date will be in the pipeline for some time.
Considering Hollywood is more or less at a suspended standstill until the coronavirus pandemic loosens its grip on the world, it’s more unclear than ever as to when the industry can resume big-scale, multi-national productions like Extraction 2.
In the meantime, we know that Netflix is doubling down on its action roster after commissioning a fifth season of the popular Spanish crime drama, Money Heist.
Check out everything you need to know about Money Heist season 5 over at this article.
