Joe Russo Offers Update On Extraction Sequel

Due to the pandemic, theaters have been shut down, resulting in movie studios delaying all of their money-making blockbusters to either later this year or next year. As a result, the number of big action flicks to watch in 2020 have been few and far between. Perhaps the best of them though is Extraction, which debuted on Netflix back in April.

Penned by Joe Russo, one half of the directing team behind the last two Avengers movies, and helmed by first-timer Sam Hargrave, the film follows Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), a mercenary hired to escort the son of a drug kingpin who’s been taken hostage. Though it’s not the most original premise, Extraction was a pleasant surprise considering that Netflix hasn’t released many memorable action films.

The set pieces were expertly choreographed, with highlights including a 12-minute continuous shot where our hero fends off multiple bad guys while jumping from rooftops, driving dangerously down narrow streets and dodging gunfire. In fact, according to Hemsworth, the performance was the most difficult of his career, which is saying something considering he’s been playing Thor for nearly a decade.

The movie was a smash hit on the streaming service and a sequel was quickly greenlit. Russo is returning to write the screenplay and now, he’s provided an update on the script.

“I started writing the sequel (prequel?) three weeks ago. It’s a great character to write for, with a fantastic performance from Hemsworth. So it makes my job easier. I think the mission is to up the scale on this one, both emotionally and physically.”

Russo appears to catch himself when mentioning whether it’ll be a sequel or a prequel. The movie ends on a fairly ambiguous note, after all, with some uncertainty as to whether our hero lives or dies. I think it’s a safe bet, though, that despite the gunshot wound in his neck, Rake is still alive.

But there’s certainly plenty of room to go back before the events of Extraction and learn more about his past if that’s the direction they choose to go in. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.