Extraction 2 is closing in on Netflix, as we all prepare to take another glance at what the Russo brothers do best (that isn’t called Infinity War or Endgame, of course), namely some off-the-chain, high-octane shenanigans that tend to rely more on pace than plot. Looking at you, Citadel and The Gray Man.
Indeed, the Russos, who produce the sequel to the Chris Hemsworth-led opener, haven’t exactly found their feet since their work with Marvel Studios put them on the map. We’re sure they’re having a blast in bringing their action thriller dreams to life, we only wish we audiences were getting more out of it.
With that in mind, it’s all the more fascinating – for lack of a more tactful term – to hear exactly what this ambitious new project hopes to entail. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Extraction 2 director Sam Hargrave revealed a few of the script’s intricacies, including a note that had but one instruction; make a one-take fight scene that puts that of Oldboy to shame.
“The gauntlet had been laid, and then when it came out in its script form, the descriptor I think was, ‘A sequence to rival Oldboy‘ and ‘The greatest oner in cinema history,’ those kinds of things, which read really well, when you’re reading it, like, “Oh my gosh, yes, it’s gonna be amazing, I can picture it.” But then, it’s my job to make that happen, which is daunting.”
It sounds like Hargrave isn’t entirely lost on how absurd a guideline like “be better than Oldboy” is. On top of trying to rival one of the greatest films of all-time, let alone just action films, creating something with the chief goal of being better than something else is a surefire way to come out with something half-baked. Nevertheless, we commend his apparent efforts to follow such a rule, and hope that the dreams of everyone involved come to fruition; the viewers will be the ones to benefit, after all.
Extraction 2 will release to Netflix on June 16.