He might be a globally famous name, but Chris Hemsworth hasn’t been immune from critical and commercial disaster when outside of his Marvel Cinematic Universe comfort zone, even if his Odinson is hardy immune from backlash if the trashing Thor: Love and Thunder took is to be believed.
However, it seems as though the affable Aussie is fully aware that some of his headline efforts haven’t exactly performed to expectations, after he voiced his enthusiasm for the ongoing Extraction franchise in an interview with Total Film.
“I love it. I love playing the character. I love this world. I love having something else outside of Marvel that’s amassed a bit of a following, something more in the real world. I honestly feel like we made a better film than the first one. That’s rare in the franchise world. We’d be remiss not to have a crack at another one.”
While he didn’t come right out and say it, Hemsworth’s track record means it’s fair game to infer that’s exactly what he was hinting at. After all, techno thriller Blackhat, supernatural reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, revisionist fantasy sequel The Huntsman: Winter’s War, semi-biographical adventure In the Heart of the Sea, military action thriller 12 Strong, sci-fi sequel Men in Black: International, and psychological dystopian tale Spiderhead all either fared terribly with critics, lost a fortune, or some combination of the two.
Thankfully, Extraction was an awesome old school actioner, and its sequel is set to deliver much more of the same when it comes to Netflix. If he isn’t going to make that fifth Thor blockbuster, then another outing as Tyler Rake would be a more than acceptable substitute.